Note to Broadcasters: This is an extract of a speech delivered by CJ Steyl (MPL) in the North West Provincial Legislature on 10 June 2025
The Democratic Alliance tabled this motion for debate because communities throughout the province face a crisis in enjoying access to clean, safe and reliable piped water supply.
In every North West municipality, in every city, town, dorpie and village, residents struggle to access clean water, often, people must pay privately for water, because water tankers are unable to meet demand where the municipal water supply has failed.
The fact is that North West’s 3,7 million residents face a water crisis. Water is not only needed to cook, clean and sustain life, but this water supply crisis is also a major barrier to economic development, growth and job creation.
Water is life. Reliable water supply is also a prerequisite for creating prosperity.
Not only do residents not have water in their taps, the lack of reliable water supply is a major contributing factor why more than a million residents can’t find a job.
Because without water, businesses cannot grow. And investors will not invest.
But what is the extent of this crisis?
The current daily demand for clean water throughout North West is 958 megalitres.
Here is the shocker.
The current water supply capacity is only 731 megalitres.
That means a deficit in water supply of about 226 megalitres a day.
And what makes matters worse is that actual water losses throughout the North West is at about 40%.
This translates to an actual current daily supply capacity of clean water of about 439 megalitres that would eventually reach a lucky North West resident’s tap.
In short, the bulk water system effectively only delivers about half the current daily demand.
According to government’s own statistics, 75% of residents officially enjoy access to water, but the official reliability rate of water supply is at 57%.
Shockingly, according to Stats SA’s 2024 Census data, only 34.8% or 396 720 of North West’s 1,14 ,million households reported reliable water supply.
That is a third of all households. It’s a real shame. A tragedy. And quite plainly, a gross human rights violation perpetuated by government.
This water crisis, by design, negatively affects the quality of life of residents and crucially, it locks the majority of North West residents into a cycle of poverty and desperation.
The total financial investment for bulk water infrastructure this year is a mere R1,2 billion.
A drop in an ocean of misery.
While some investment is taking place across 44 projects, many of them are delayed and underfunded and will not supply in the current daily demand of almost a 1 000 megalitres a day.
Municipal water reticulation systems are aged beyond repair while ANC-led governments are embroiled in factionalism and servicing their patronage networks, pipes burst and residents are left with dry taps.
The Madibeng Local Municipality is ground zero for repeated violent protests over water supply issues since 2013.
Since then, government responded by investing R630 million to upgrade the Brits Water Treatment Plant from 60 megalitres to 80 megalitres a day.
But here is the issue, government invested in a three phase project to upgrade the plant, but failed to plan and invest into phase 4, the pipeline, that will supply this water to the communities who need it.
We must the ask what the point was. The ANC government raised expectations, through a 15 year R630 million project, and when completed, there still will not be water in people’s taps.
What will the outcome be of this when the community realises the ANC’s deception?
Residents in Wards 13 and 14 in the Tswaing Local Municipality, Delareyville, have been without water for almost 2 weeks.
Last week I requested MEC Oageng Molapisi to intervene after Cllr Soret Viljoen exhausted all efforts to get a response from the ANC-led district municipality’s Executive Mayor Khumalo Molefe or the Municipal Manager, Allen Losaba.
Neither has there been any communication from the municipality to keep residents abreast of the problem and the work progress.
Instead, people just see the ANC arrogance.
This provincial government does not have a funded, scientific and integrated water management plan.
If this government had such a plan, there would be no water crisis in North West.
Not a single North West municipality has a funded water management plan.
If the current daily demand is at almost 1 000 megalitres a day, what is the projection for demand in 10 years?
In 10 years, demand would, at a conservative estimate exceed 1 200 megalitres, even more if we want to see economic growth and job creation.
Every municipality in North West fail to adhere to the provisions of the Water Services Act.
How many complaints has the Human Rights Commission investigated? How many reports have been issued. And yet, people still do not have water when they want it.
How many cases have been opened against municipal managers for failure to ensure compliance under the Water Services Act. How many have been arrested and prosecuted? None!
What is the blue drop status water status of every municipality? We do not know.
What we do know is that we need water and when we want it we can’t have it.
A disregard for the very basics that government is supposed to deliver.
To address this crisis might cost billions of Rands. But more importantly, it will take decisive political will.
Sadly, we do not see the eager determination required from this provincial government.
So, in 2026, just like the residents have dry taps, so too will the ANC suffer a drought at the ballot box.
And then DA-led governments will begin to rebuild and expand the critical bulk water infrastructure the ANC have neglected for 30 years.
Thus, the debate seeks to bring focus to the North West water crisis.
What is needed is for this provincial government to table a scientific, integrated and funded provincial water management plan.
And for every North West municipality to draft funded local water management plans.
But crucially, the funds must be spent to improve infrastructure and ensure water security.
I thank you.