The use of private water tankers in KwaZulu-Natal has become a lucrative business with politicians working in cahoots with unscrupulous tenderpreneurs to sabotage water infrastructure in order to be awarded the contracts.
But several municipalities are closing the gravy train by insourcing the crucial service to eliminate corruption.
King Cetshwayo, an IFP-governed district municipality, is the first to limit and scrap the use of water tankers, saying the money should instead be used to hire new staff.
“Millions are spent on hiring private water trucks and it should have never been allowed, because municipalities can purchase their own water tankers and save money, explained South African Local Government Association provincial chairperson and mayor of the district Thami Ntuli.
“This is what we have begun to do in all municipalities under the King Cetshwayo. This new way of doing things will create new jobs, because people will be employed to drive trucks, including engineers to perform other water-infrastructure maintenance duties.”
Local municipalities under the district include Mthonjaneni, the City of uMhlathuze, Mlalazi and Nkandla.
Ntuli shared that the findings of several investigations have revealed that politicians had colluded with companies often owned by their friends and families (who) sabotage water infrastructure so that they could be awarded tenders.
“We are also planning to employ more plumbers and technicians so that we reduce the use of private companies. We do hope that other municipalities will follow this model.”
Ntuli added that water tankers should be an interim plan while the district is implementing water projects in communities as a permanent measure for residents facing water supply challenges.
There has been a rise in the torching of municipal water trucks since the move to deal with private water tankers has been set in motion.
Water and Sanitation Minister Senzo Mchunu told the parliamentary standing committee on public accounts in September that the emergency water services are the new syndicate-led source of corruption in local government.
Follow @SundayWorldZA on Twitter @sundayworldza on Instagram, or like our Facebook Page, Sunday World, by clicking here for the latest breaking news in South Africa. To Subscribe to Sunday World, click here.
