​Thembisa Shologu
With water scarcity persisting as a pressing and urgent challenge, the Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG), in collaboration with the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) and Rand Water, hosted a Water Imbizo to urgently address the province's water shortages. 
The event aimed to provide a unified and comprehensive response to the region's water security challenges, particularly as the summer season approaches, when water consumption is expected to rise.
Key contributors to the crisis include drought, ageing infrastructure, population growth driving higher water demand, water mismanagement, illegal connections, and the depletion of water supply systems.
Addressing the gathering at the Birchwood Hotel in Ekurhuleni, Deputy Minister for Water and Sanitation David Mahlobo stressed the collective responsibility of all stakeholders in dealing with the water crisis, urging them to refrain from shifting the responsibility. 
"We have brought people who are decision-makers, and our view is that by the time we conclude with the work of today, probably your attitude and your relationship with water, and the imperative that you must be able to prosecute will change because one of the biggest problems about the issues of water is the blame game. 
"It is not my problem; it is the mayor, it is the MMC, it is the administrators, no, no, it is Rand Water, no, it is the Minister. You cannot be in a position where you outsource the responsibility to lead, leadership is a serious task that we must all be able to discharge," said Minister Mahlobo. 
He went on to say that Gauteng has not been able to meet the water needs of communities as a municipality or government for some time. 
However, he emphasised the need to apply the user-pay principle to avoid the collapse of water boards. 
"Our behaviour and relationship with water demonstrate that we need to manage this resource in a manner that we understand is a final resource; it can run out. We use 
water as if there is plenty of water. 
"Gauteng, in terms of using water per person per day in litres, we are actually above the country's average, which is 273 litres, and as Gauteng, we are hovering around 298 litres per person per day; some of you are covering at 300 litres per person per day. That is unsustainable," he said.
Rand Water Group Chief Executive Sipho Mosai highlighted the growing financial strain due to some municipalities failing to honour their Bulk Water Purchase and Debt Settlement Agreements. Currently, the overdue debt owed by municipalities exceeds R5 billion. 
Mosia also pointed out that the entity has surpassed the daily water abstraction license allocated by the DWS. The approved annual abstraction limit is 1,600 million cubic meters (4,384 megalitres per day) from the Integrated Vaal River System (IVRS).
"Our license is 1300 million cubic meters per annum, the amount of water we can abstract. We are not abstracting at 1300 million cubic meters per annum, but at 1800 million cubic meters per annum, 500 million cubic meters per annum more than the license. 
"The department has been kind enough to give us a temporary licence to abstract at 1,800 million cubic meters, but you need to bring these numbers down to 1,600 million cubic meters per annum. The reality is that we have reached the water limit and can abstract from the dam," said Mosia. 
To address these challenges, Mosai outlined several strategies to help municipalities reduce water consumption and ensure compliance with Rand Water's license provisions.
These include the immediate imposition of Level 1 water restrictions, which typically involve restrictions on watering gardens, washing cars, and filling swimming pools, a moratorium on irrigating public facilities in Gauteng until March 2025, and the disconnection of illegal connections supplying residential areas and illegal mines.
Additionally, he urged municipalities to repair water distribution system leaks within 48 hours and ensure timely account settlements.
Gauteng MEC for Infrastructure Development and Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Jacob Mamabolo, committed to hosting regular Izimbizos with Gauteng Ward Councillors to address broader issues such as energy supply, the financial stability of municipalities, and the revitalisation of ageing Central Business Districts (CBDs).