Presentation to the Portfolio Committee on Water Affairs

Presentation to the Portfolio Committee on Water Affairs and Forestry 24 May 2006

Structure of the presentation • Who are we (SALGA) • Water Services Collaboration • Challenges to meet provision of basic services • What is SALGA doing • Way Forward

Role & Impact of SALGA • The President Thabo Mbeki called upon SALGA to become a powerful tool for the empowerment, capacitating and inspiration of local government • Through Masibambane support SALGA has played a critical and decisive role – Consultative process → common positions – Raising LG perspectives and issues on national agenda – Municipalities active in policy & strategy development – therefore relevant – Municipalities articulating own needs

SALGA South African Local Government Association (SALGA), a voluntary body representing all nine provincial local government associations (PLGAs) was established in 1996 and has been recognised by the Minister as the body representing local government (Government Notice No R 175, 30 January 1998, Regulation Gazette no 6087, Government Gazette, vol 391, no 18645, 30 January 1998) Salga is not a statutory body, but has official status through the executive act of recognition.

VISION, MISSION & VALUES Vision An association of municipalities that is at the cutting edge of quality and sustainable services Mission To be consultative, informed, mandated, credible & Accountable to our membership, and provide value for money Dynamic Responsive VALUES Innovative Excellence

MANDATE OF SALGA • Represent, promote and protect the interests of local government; • Act as an employer body representing all municipal members; • Affiliate and participate in the affairs of regional, continental and international organisations, that will serve the best interest of its members; • Lobby and advocate for member municipalities; • Act as resource for knowledge and information to municipalities.

Overview of the South Water Chain 1 st Tier National security of supply 2 nd Tier Regional supply to WSA’s 3 rd Tier Local service delivery and customer management DWAF WATER UTILITIES MUNICIPALITIES WSA’S x Legend Water service delivery Revenue flow x CRITICAL POINT CONSUMER • The Provision function is becoming more a challenge in delivery of water services to consumers The business interface between a municipality and the consumer is a critical point for the industry

? • South Africa has assets – how do we maintain them? • South Africa has backlogs – how do we address them? • South Africa needs more economic infrastructure – how do we deliver?

Major changes in the Sector • Free Basic Water policy • Strategic Framework for Water Services • Transferring of operations from national to local government • Regulatory arrangements • Phasing in of capital infrastructure grant to municipalities • Institutional reform process • Monitoring and Evaluation

Transfer § Subsidy Breakout § Skills Profile of current staff § Rehabilitation of the schemes § DWAF Schemes to be transferred comply with water quality standards § Short fall in the rehabilitation funding

STATE OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE The “GOOD” The “BAD” The “UGLY”

Municipalities and Water Management Institutions u u Water resources management strategies needs to be amended to give effect to the status of municipalities as a sphere of government An intergovernmental forum needs to be established to strengthen co-operative governance, and to ensure that DWAF & CMAs exercise water resource management functions in support of municipalities

Building Democracy for Sustainability • Masibambane Focus – WS underpin poverty alleviation, social development and economic growth – Working together to build a strong WS sector will enhance performance – Strong accountable and representative government – especially local government – is vital for sustainable service delivery , but this has to happen within the framework of LG transformation

Pillars for long term WS Delivery SUSTAINABLE APPROPRIATE SUPPORT VIABLE FUNCTIONAL

Role & Impact of SALGA – Establishing municipal WS networks & sharing experience / best practice – Facilitating that capacitated municipalities support weaker ones – Providing on-going support (transfers, etc) & partner in sector driven support activities – Initiating benchmarking for comparative performance & support – Ensuring political buy-in and informed decision making (eg sanitation options) • Highlights importance of LG having own representative organisation

Drinking Water Quality • Free State government has set up a drinking water quality monitoring programme providing data on all towns in the province. • Multi-sector team lead by Dept Housing and Local Govt, using CSIR expertise for monitoring and running internet-based reporting system. • Information used to guide planning and budgeting for infrastructure expenditure. • WIN-SA documenting project as part of Lessons Series. Available soon at www. win-sa. org. za

OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE • • SIDA is supporting municipalities in the development of Operations and Maintenance manuals which are developed by municipal officials Training courses are developed for water officers at plant level (SALGA is in the process of engaging with the Water Chamber to accredit the course) Technical Assistance is “housed”at a District level to support local municipalities in service delivery WIN has documented the best practice and is available on the website www. win-sa. org. za

MORETELE LM PROVISION OF WATER SERVICES • Eliminated the unauthorised connections through the registration process of water users i. e. form was developed with 4 main objectives • • Application to be a municipal customer Household Income to determine the Indigent registration Individual skills in the village Application for yard connection • Contractors procured to refurbishment the infrastructure and connect residents that applied for meters (Chinese Meters) • Success rate is good as water is available in villages that did not have water (both yard and stand pipe)

Planning • Involvement in WSDP of municipalities. • Involvement in IDP • In future agreement from all sectors on IDP, integration of provincial growth and development plans etc

Key areas § Benchmarking initiative § Ward committee pilots/ cllr decision support § Civil society leadership role § Municipal WSP network § Cooperation with SAAWU

STRUCTURE OF THE WSP

ALIGNMENT

THANK YOU