The Department of Water and Sanitation explained in a media statement that Minister Senzo Mchunu has signed off on the Sedibeng Water gazette to transfer staff, assets and liabilities to Magalies and BloemWater Boards.

The disestablishment is in line with Mchunu’s commitment to review water boards to enable them to perform optimally while enhancing the delivery of water to municipalities and ultimately to households.  

The statement further reads the review is based on considerations of financial sustainability, servicing areas that are not currently serviced and is also intended to address institutional confusion caused by having multiple water boards serving the same area.

The disestablishment of Sedibeng Water is in accordance with Section 28 of the Water Services Act of 1997 which affords Mchunu the authority to disestablish a water board.

The gazette was published on Friday, 20 May 2022, and will remain open to the public for a period of 40 days.

Members of the public and all interested parties are invited to make comments in writing on the disestablishment of the board. The Department has reiterated its commitment to ensure that there is smooth transition of the disestablishment and that water service provision to communities is not affected.

ALSO READ: Sedibeng Water Board drowning in debt

OFM News previously reported unpaid invoices to service providers at Sedibeng Water Board top the list of outstanding debt at water boards in the country. This bulk water supplier to the Northern Cape and parts of the Free State had outstanding invoices amounting to more than R5 billion at the end of March 2022.

The information formed part of an answer on a written question - about the financial status of water boards - that was tabled in Parliament. It further states that the entity was awaiting revenue from debtors that include several municipalities in the Free State - with billions in outstanding debt.

It was during the beginning of the year when the Acting Chief Executive, Toto Molobye of Sedibeng Water confirmed the decision of disestablishing the water board to OFM News.

OFM News