Mabuza’s trip will kick-start in the Northern Cape and end in the Free State merely weeks after the minister of Water and Sanitation, Senzo Mchunu, held a two-day session with different government entities on issues of water and sanitation. 

The departmental spokesperson, Sputnik Ratau, in a statement says Mabuza, who is set to be flanked by Minister Mchunu, will assess the extent of pollution in the Vaal River System, as well as water and sanitation-related issues in both provinces. In May 2021, the national government announced that an amount of R1.1 billion will be spent over the next three years for the refurbishment of the wastewater treatment plants.

Ratau says this much-anticipated visit is aimed at addressing the structural and systematic challenges in the water value chain, resulting in raw sewage flowing into streams, rivers, and dams.

“Mabuza, in his capacity as Chairperson of the Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) on Water and Sanitation, will visit the Northern Cape and Free State Provinces on Friday 10 September 2021, to assess the extent of pollution in the Vaal River Systems and water and sanitation-related issues in both provinces.

The Inter-Ministerial Committee was appointed by President Cyril Ramaphosa as an institutional coordinating platform that brings together key players within government to provide leadership and technical assistance towards the resolution of challenges in the provision of water and sanitation in the country,” Ratau adds. Mabuza and Mchunu will also inspect the Kroonstad Waste Water Treatment Works.

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