Honorable Member, the Department of Water and Sanitation (the Department) is implementing the following interventions to strengthen governance at Water Boards:
a) The Minister had 5 Provincial engagements in the Free State, Eastern Cape, Limpopo, Gauteng and KwaZulu- Natal. These provincial engagements were attended by the DWS Provincial Office, Provincial Government, Water Boards, Water Service Authorities and broader water and sanitation Committees and Forums.
b) The engagements with Water Boards were mainly around issues of governance, financial viability and accountability and broader service delivery issues as per their mandate.
c) The Minister, during the engagement in the Eastern Cape between 31 August to 2 September 2021, interacted with Amatola Water Board. The Minister noted with concern the issues of lack of stability both in the Board and Executive Management. The situation is exacerbated by a number of allegations including allegations of political interference.
d) To stabilize Amatola Water Board the following decisions were made:
---00O00---