NOZIPHO DLAMINI

The opinion piece by DA’s Stephen Moore on Gauteng’s water challenges is a thinly veiled campaign message dressed up as a public concern.

The people of Gauteng deserve honest, solutions-driven engagement on water security, not selective outrage timed conveniently ahead of local government elections.

What Moore offers is a familiar script that aims to simplify a complex, decades-old infrastructure challenge, ignore ongoing government interventions, and present his political party as the sole answer to the challenge.

Premier Panyaza Lesufi and the provincial government have been open about the scale of the water challenges affecting the province. Ageing infrastructure, rapid urbanisation, historic underinvestment, and climate pressures all play a role.

Pretending that this can be fixed by a single budgeting mechanism or a slogan about “ring-fencing” revenue is not only misleading but also irresponsible.

Contrary to claims that little is being done, the provincial government under Lesufi has been implementing a coordinated and multi-layered response to stabilise supply, repair infrastructure, and build long-term resilience.

This coordinated work has been in place since the beginning of the year, bringing together all municipalities, national departments, and entities such as Rand Water to stabilise supply, reduce leaks, and accelerate maintenance.

These partnerships are essential to managing system pressures and ensuring that interventions are not fragmented or duplicated. They also involve technical, resource-intensive work that requires sustained collaboration, not headline-grabbing accusations.

In February, Lesufi outlined the government’s interventions to address water challenges. To permanently resolve water issues, he announced a R760m infrastructure upgrade in Johannesburg, which is being implemented in phases.

He further revealed that construction of a new ground reservoir and a tower in Brixton were underway to improve supply. The government has also built an emergency boosting pumping station. Importantly, he was transparent in noting that a permanent solution will be realised once construction of a 5km pipeline is completed, which is expected by the end of 2026.

The provincial government has therefore prioritised support to municipalities to repair and replace critical pipelines, pumps, and reservoirs, while accelerating long-overdue maintenance programmes. These are not quick fixes; they are complex infrastructure projects essential for lasting improvement.

Alongside this, efforts to reduce water losses have been intensified. Non-revenue water caused by leaks and illegal connections remains one of the biggest threats to supply stability.

Targeted technical interventions, including pressure management and leak detection, are being rolled out in high-loss areas to prevent avoidable wastage and restore system efficiency.

Government has also prioritised transparency and communication. Residents are kept informed about maintenance schedules, outages, and recovery plans on an ongoing basis.

Recognising the immediate impact on communities, short-term relief measures have been implemented, including water tankers, emergency supply systems, and rapid response teams in affected areas. Critical institutions such as hospitals and schools are prioritised to ensure continuity of essential services.

Water security cannot be reduced to a single policy proposal or election slogan. It requires sustained investment, institutional cooperation, and technical expertise.

These are not easy fixes but painstaking, resource-intensive steps required to build resilience in a province facing rapid urbanisation, climate pressures, and decades of underinvestment.

What Gauteng needs is not political theatre but practical delivery, not selective outrage but sustained collaboration, not promises of quick wins but the hard work of building systems that will endure.

If we are serious about protecting the dignity and rights of our people, then we must reject the temptation of point-scoring and instead commit ourselves to the long, difficult, but necessary path of accountable governance and real solutions.