Municipalities sound the alarm over water mafias
Municipalities across South Africa are continuing to raise the alarm over rampant vandalism of water works infrastructure, which continues to exacerbate water woes across the country and fill the pockets of criminals.
Executive Mayor of the Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality in the North West, Khumalo Molefe, told the SABC that “it is very clear to us that we are confronted with a syndicate that is well resourced, well equipped, well armed and well funded.”
“We are dealing with collusion – there is an inside thief working with outside thieves,” said Molefe.
The mayor added that although his municipality has been particularly hard hit, it is but a drop in the ocean of the issues felt in the district, province and rest of the country.
Households and businesses across South Africa are struggling with water stress worsened by climate change and municipal infrastructure challenges (including deterioration and neglect), impacting the availability of sufficient, usable water required to operate.
In Coronation’s July 2024 Correspondent, economist Marie Antelme and ESG analyst Leila Joseph said that “water security is arguably one of the most critical risks to South Africa’s social, economic, and political long-term future.”
The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) has noted this increase and warned that vandalism of water infrastructure sets the government back and deprives communities of the essential service.
“These acts of criminality undermine government efforts to keep the service delivery wheel in motion – there is no justification whatsoever for vandalising water infrastructure,” DWS spokesperson Wisane Mavasa previously said.
“It is an act of criminality, which undermines the government’s effort to supply water to communities in a sustainable manner.”
“Vandalism takes government back in its service delivery plans and targets. As soon as water infrastructure is damaged, the government has to make necessary and urgent steps to restore water supply that is not budgeted,” added Mavasa.
Vandalism motives
Several parts of South Africa are struggling with water shortages as taps dry up for days, and often weeks at a time – but the wallets of those hired to assist are flooding.
While there are various (criminal) motives for damaging water infrastructure, one which has become rife across the country is said to be linked to the “water tanker mafia.”
Looking specifically at “water tanker mafias,” these have become lucrative businesses in the country. When the water supply runs perfectly, the tanker businesses serve no purpose and do not generate revenue.
In Gauteng alone (a province that has faced significant service delivery issues relating to water), municipalities have spent R2.367 billion over five years (2018 – August 2023) on hiring water tankers.
These groups are exacerbating the plight of communities already grappling with inadequate water supply by deliberately sabotaging municipal water supply to boost their businesses that are tendered to provide water to affected communities.
Former chairperson of Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Water and Sanitation, Robert Mashego, often sounded alarm bells during his tenure.
Mashego said that the ‘tanker’ mafia is pertinent all over the country and is “very well organised,” adding that many of those in the water tank mafias are the businesspeople and entrepreneurs that municipalities already contract and use to provide water to affected communities.
“We are worried because when [we] install infrastructure today, two days thereafter, the infrastructure is gone or is back to unworking conditions,” the former chairperson said earlier this year.
“In actual fact, they are in cahoots most of the time with the officials of the municipalities where they are operating – sometimes you find even the trucks are owned by municipal officials themselves,” said Mashego, echoing what the Ngaka Modiri Molema mayor recently said.
He previously told News24 that “we established that even when you try to repair the damaged infrastructure, when you leave, the same pipe is damaged again, and you are forced to seek the services of water tankers,” marking a vicious cycle.
“This has become a business transaction rather than a service delivery process,” said Mashego.
Although these mafia groups are contributing to the water shortage across parts of the country, Dr Ferrial Adam of WaterCAN noted that the main culprits of the crisis are failing infrastructure and lack of skilled personnel.
She saidthat there is a considerable backlog in desperately needed maintenance of the water infrastructure in affected areas, and South Africans can expect more pipe bursts, leaks and water sharing in the foreseeable future as a result.
“Infrastructure is failing across the board, and without increased spending to fix these issues, I don’t foresee us [South Africa] getting out of this mess anytime soon.”
Adam’s sentiment aligns with University of the Free State professor Dr Anthony Turton, who highlighted that an estimated 50% of the water from bulk water suppliers in South Africa does not reach the end consumer due to leakages, theft, and failing infrastructure, which has created a perfect storm for tanker mafias taking advantage of the chaos.
In June 2023, the government unveiled a proposal to allocate nearly R80 billion towards overcoming challenges associated with water infrastructure, which have led to what opposition parties describe as “water-shedding.”
Former Water and Sanitation Minister, Senzo Mchunu, has estimated that addressing the backlog in water infrastructure will require an annual investment of R89.9 billion over the coming decade.
However, experts warn that these hefty investments will prove futile if those damaging the infrastructure that they are focusing on are not brought to book.
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