Hon Chair, Question 44 from the hon member Faber is really about the municipalities in the Eastern Cape that owe any amount for water that has been supplied to those municipalities. The response is as follows.
At this time the department, through our regional office in the Eastern Cape, is not aware, and neither are we, of any outstanding amounts for water that is being supplied by other municipalities. If the hon member is aware of any such case, it should be brought to our attention. On our part, as I illustrated earlier on in the response to the previous question, we know that the boards supply water to municipalities. If municipalities are owed money, as the hon member said, we would like to have that information.
According to section 4(5) of the Water Services Act, Act 108 of 1997, a water institution, such as a municipality which provides water to another municipality, may limit or discontinue service once creditors have been met. All water boards have the right to limit or terminate the water supply to their clients if their accounts are not paid and all the negotiations to recover that debt have been exhausted. They must be able to prove that they have done this.
I also have the right to issue a directive that the water board not discontinue the water supply until I have had time to meet the mayors of those municipalities to find a solution to the payment of the outstanding debts. We have intervened previously where water boards were owed money by municipalities. We found amicable solutions, and repayments are being made in some of those municipalities. So, in this particular instance we are able to intervene and find solutions in this regard. As I have said, we are not aware of that. Thank you.
As the hon Faber is not in the House, is there anyone who has a supplementary question?
Thank you, hon Chairperson. This question revolves around the Kouga Local Municipality, which has three accounts with the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality. One is for the Kouga Local Municipality and one is for Jeffrey's Bay, and I think the other one is for Humansdorp. In total, the Kouga Local Municipality owes R25 million to the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality. That is a figure that I can prove. I received it from the MEC when we met with him on Friday, 4 May 2012. I am asking you to please advise and intervene in this regard.
Secondly, if you do intervene, you will want to speak to the mayors of those municipalities first. Eskom has threatened to cut electricity to them, and in this particular case I suppose I am asking you a legal question as to whether the water can also be cut, because we have been informed of such threats. Thank you.
Hon member, that is a new question to the Minister.
It is not!
Minister, will you please respond?
Thank you, hon Chair. Indeed, it is a new question. I am going to answer the first part, which has to do with the old question. This is the part regarding whether we will be able to intervene.
Yes, we will be able to intervene. The link to that part of the question is whether they can cut off the water. In my response I said that the law does allow for this after certain measures and steps have been taken, and there have even been negotiations. Yes, indeed, we will intervene to negotiate. It is not in our interests to have water cut off for any of our people, and for that reason we will definitely intervene.
The other part about Eskom I am not able to answer. Thank you.
Hon Chair, I have a follow-up question. Hon Minister, do we need to inform you properly of the situation in writing so that you can take the necessary steps to intervene? [Interjections.]
Hon member, the question was for the hon Faber, not yourself.
It doesn't matter!
I would like the Minister to proceed to Question 47, as there are no hands up.
Assistance by department to municipalities having difficulty in maintaining waste water treatment plants
47. Mr D A Worth (DA) asked the Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs:
(1) Whether her department is assisting municipalities which are experiencing difficulties to maintain waste water treatment plants; if not, why not; if so, what (a) assistance is being provided to increase the capacity and (b) are the further relevant details;
(2) whether her department extends any financial assistance to municipalities to address the treatment of waste water; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?