Julius Kleynhans, OUTA’s Portfolio Manager for Water and Environment Affairs, told Farmer’s Weekly that the failure to release the results of these investigations could be politically motivated, as the release had the potential to name and shame certain municipalities, which could negatively affect the re-election chances of some municipal officials.
“Currently, more than 37% of water is lost due to leakages within infrastructure. Our economy cannot grow without this resource,” Kleynhans said.
An OUTA press release said that OUTA had, through a Promotion to Access of Information Application (PAIA), requested Nomvula Mokonyane, the Minister of Water and Sanitation, to publish the following reports that indicate water quality, water loss and compliance:
- The Complete Blue Drop Reports of 2015 and 2016;
- The Complete Green Drop Report of 2015;
- The Complete Non-Revenue Water Reports 2014 and 2016;
- The Complete Regulatory Performance Monitoring System Reports 2015 and 2016.
The average time limit for a PAIA was 30 days, Kleynhans said.
