This, as Minister Lindiwe Sisulu is expected to table the Human Settlements Budget Vote on Tuesday and that of Water and Sanitation on Thursday. 

Communities in the Free State are amongst those severely impacted by water scarcity and inadequate sanitation. OFM News previously reported that the water crisis in Maluti-A-Phofung at the beginning of the year saw the region make national headlines when residents embarked on service delivery protests, leading Sisulu to pledge over R200 million to remedy the water situation in Qwaqwa.

Whilst communities in this cash-strapped municipality are still experiencing water challenges, the department in a statement last week said they are still working arround the clock to ensure that all drought-hit areas are supplied with water and that they will be increasing the number of Jojo tanks to various areas.

Coupled with water challenges in this area, Sisulu is expected to address questions relating to a lack of sanitation.

According to a presentation before Parliament by the department's Acting Director-General, the province, alongside the Eastern Cape, Limpopo and Mpumalanga are still in much need of water and sanitation infrastructure. It indicates that while water supply is a great challenge in municipalities such as Maluti-A-Phofung, Ngwathe and Mohokare, the province is also plagued with a mushrooming number of informal settlements where there are over 10 200 existing bucket toilets.

The latest Stats SA’s non-financial census of municipalities report has highlighted that the highest number of people still subjected to using municipal bucket toilets in South Africa are found in the Free State.

The report indicated that out of the 42 612 units that still exist in the country, 47% are found in the Free State with the Setsoto, Nala and Ngwathe Local Municipalities recording the highest numbers.

OFM News