Chairperson, my apologies. The question was on what we are doing when a municipality doesn't manage a treatment plant well, whether it is waste water or other. We agree that wherever we go there are serious challenges in many instances. This is the lack of maintenance and infrastructure capacity that I was talking about.
Let me say to hon members through you, Chairperson, that if there is anything in Water Affairs that causes me sleepless nights, it is this particular issue. If the infrastructure is not refurbished, you can't get water to the people, and in many instances such plants that are not refurbished and well treated actually cause diseases and real challenges.
There is a provision in the law, sections 19 and 20, to the effect that everybody, and not only a municipality, must comply with this section of the law: Nobody must cause pollution in our waters or cause anything in the nature of unmanaged, unrehabilitated, unmaintained water or sewage treatment plants that really spill sewage all over.
We are required in terms of the law to give pre-directives for people to comply with - it doesn't matter who it is - and we have done this before. We are also supposed to give a directive if they don't comply with the pre- directive. If they still don't comply, we then take up the matter. This is followed by negotiations and discussions and, finally, we open cases against such people. We have done so, and there are cases that have even gone to court. Of course, these are not municipality cases at this stage, but private sector cases. In most cases it is mining. We have actually got decisions by the court, in our favour, against those people. So, we have those sections, we are applying them, and we are implementing them.
At the same time as we are implementing them, we are not just looking at the municipalities in this way, but supporting them in an active manner to get the remedial processes embarked upon. The Free State has the Matjhabeng, Nala and Wesselsbron municipalities, and we have been helping them. We are now even working with Bloemfontein, Mangaung, in order to help them get some of the water treatment plants back into shape.
The problem is not small and affects areas all over the country. It is also caused by the fact that our infrastructure is not meant to carry the number of people that it is carrying. It was built in such a manner that it was not meant to help all those people, who are a multitude, especially in rural communities and townships. Towns are growing, and the fact that there is aged infrastructure, with an increasing number of people, is a challenge. This is why we are catching up through using the regional bulk infrastructure grant, as well as refurbishing what is there.
Measures to deal with escalating rhino poaching problem
48. Mr D A Worth (DA) asked the Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs:
(1) Whether her department has implemented any measures in response to the escalating rhino poaching problem; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;
(2) whether her department has the necessary (a) funding and (b) capacity to implement a programme to (i) prevent and (ii) reduce rhino poaching; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? CO291E