This follows after President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the 21-day national lockdown due to the rapid spread of coronavirus in the country.  

Addressing the nation yesterday afternoon, Minister of Water and Sanitation, Lindiwe Sisulu, stated 1 700 water tanks will be sent to the Free State and 600 will be sent to the North West. 

This announcement came after communities in Qwaqwa in the ailing municipality of Maluti-A-Phofung in the Free State, raised concerns over the lack of water in the area.  

Sisulu also stated 41 000 water tanks have already been prepared to be sent to the rest of the country.

She further added that the department has procured 2 342 tanks for the Eastern Cape, 1 700 for the Free State, 12 130 for Gauteng, 4 274 for KwaZulu-Natal, 1200 for Limpopo and the North West will receive 600 water tanks. 

Sisulu stated that the department is still working on providing Mpumalanga with 600 water tanks.

“We are hoping if we carry on at this rate, we will be able to cover all those areas that are badly in need of water,” she added.

Minister Sisulu further mentioned that the government has decided to cut the long process of procurement and that they would go directly to the distributors and manufacturers.

"We have been in touch with manufacturers who have said 400 000 water tanks are available to procure” Sisulu further explained.

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