Media reports tell us that the Powers and Privileges Committee recently referred uMkhonto we Sizwe party member and parliamentarian, Visvin Reddy to the Disciplinary Committee following his yelling “Pemmy must go” on March 4, 2025 during a sitting of the National Assembly to debate unreliable water supply to residents in Germiston.

The Pemmy in question being, of course, Minister of Water and Sanitation, Pemmy Majodina who Mr. Reddy blamed for her (mis)handling of that crisis. Next year, it will be 30 years since the promulgation of the Constitution. Next year too, we shall be voting in local elections and it is worth asking South Africans whether our politicians are serving us well. In this case, Mr. Reddy, rather than Ms. Majodina, failed South Africa dismally as he played politics. 

To begin, the complaint that was being debated on the day in question was in reference to a 2023 petition that affected residents of Wards 20, 29, 36 and 92 in Germiston. At that time, Ms. Majodina was not the Minister heading that portfolio. Even if she were, neither her Ministry nor would she have been the right person to rail against.

Many of us do not know who owns water and generally it becomes an issue only when it’s not flowing from our taps otherwise its not something we think much about. A small tutorial as received from Rand Water Chair who also happens to be Chair of Association of Water and Sanitation Institutions of South Africa (AWSISA), Mr. Ramateu Monyokolo proved that Mr. Reddy railed against the wrong person and department.

In South Africa, water belongs to the Department of Water and Sanitation. The water boards then get water from the department and purify it and provide to municipalities. Municipalities provide the water to the consumers (us). And yes. Unfortunately this water doesn’t always trickle down when we want it and how we want it but the rand and rant must and should stop, by and large, with municipalities who tend to politicise their roles, in the case in question, Ekurhuleni Municipality. 

Much like our Constitution which it is a part of, South Africa has a water policy that is admired worldwide but that does not always deliver to the people. In my chat with Mr. Monyokolo, I tried to understand how some of the problems we have in accessing water can be solved. The fact that, I, a regular Thandi, can be curious enough to be an active citizen and seek this information out should make the Honourable Member of Parliament, and his party, ask the same about his actions, more so because he has the responsibility of making laws for the rest of us.

Perhaps the key questions that Mr. Reddy should have been asking – and which I have been asking since I travelled the country in an attempt to understand the state of the nation last year – should have been more on why, as we go into local elections next year, our municipalities are failing us in water provision.

It’s worth noting that in 1994, there were 19 Water Boards. Due to non-payment of bills by municipalities, many of those water boards went bankrupt and now we currently have seven water boards nationwide with at least two about to shut down due again to non-payment of bills timeously by municipalities. This is particularly irking as municipalities have no problem cutting water supplies when individuals and companies do not pay what’s owed to them so why exactly are they not passing on the payments they receive from us so that water boards can continue  doing their jobs? 

Both water boards, as State Owned Enterprises, and municipalities, are public bodies that exist to serve the people of South Africa. It would therefore be problematic for water boards to take the municipalities, some of them often bankrupt, to court to ensure that they meet their obligations. And water is a basic need so often water boards, at their own expense, find themselves providing water and then risking bankruptcy. How then do we ensure that municipalities keep their end of the bargain to the water boards and pay what is owed and how too do we ensure they provide service to residents so that we can be guaranteed clean water? These are the questions Mr. Reddy should be asking. 

Another worthwhile question to ask, again to municipalities, is how they are not serving the no/low-income citizens. Our national water policy gives us equitable access to water which includes Free Basic Water or subsidised basic water services to low-income households. Unfortunately while the idea is great in theory,  it has been difficult to implement practically and this is not due to failure from the Department or the Water Boards but again from the municipalities and a different Ministry.

In order to access free or subsidised water, financially-marginalised citizens need to register with municipalities for indigent support. There have been reports of citizens, particularly naturalised ones, facing difficulties to access the Smartcard identity card because of Department of Home Affairs policies which would mean exclusion by municipalities and this question should be asked of the Home Affairs Minister.

In the event of availability of documents though, registration sadly is done at a centralised place when it would probably be easier for municipal workers to come to citizens in the same way they come and read water metres, and register them.

If a Tebogo or Tariq does not have money to go to city hall to register, this marks the difference between their getting water and not getting it. Assuming they make it and register, there have been no follow-ups from municipalities to see whether residents and citizens’ financial situation has changed. 

In some cases, Mr. Monyokolo noted, some municipalities have not checked for over ten years on whether new people need to be added to get water subsidies. Given how many people have lost their jobs in the last ten years, this seems like a gross oversight on the part of municipalities who are there to serve the people. 

A man who has worked in Parliament since 1994 and retires this year noted, as I visited Parliament’s library, that the august house is no longer as auspicious as it was when he first joined. He recalled that back in 1994, the Parliamentarians were well-informed and filled him with pride and hope about our democracy.

Now they seem to delight in theatre without facts and he was glad to be leaving. Mr. Reddy is certainly one of the latter. At least in so far as his behaviour regarding Ms. Majodina is concerned. As a citizen, I too would very much support his being disciplined.

As much because he made a noise about something he knew little about despite the role he is supposed to play for us but on a more personal level, because he made me write this piece defending an ANC politician.

* Author and journalist Zukiswa Wanner travelled South Africa in late 2024 and early 2025 with Kenyan editor Parselelo Kantai interviewing ordinary and prominent South Africans as part of South Africa at 30 project. The project seeks to shine a spotlight on democratic dividends and failures. Focusing on land and minerals, water, education, healthcare and labour, South Africa at 30 asks hard questions and presents some solutions available from experts that we may be ignoring as a country. Wanner is part of the continental civic body African Water Justice Network. 

** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL or Independent Media. 

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