As South Africans travel to various holiday destinations during the festive season, Water and Sanitation Minister Pemmy Majodina, has reiterated her call for the public to use water sparingly.
“Ensure that you close all your taps when you leave home. Don’t pump your swimming pools and avoid irrigating when it is not necessary, especially during the day. [Rather] irrigate in the evening or early morning,” Majodina said.
She added that municipalities also have a responsibility to assess and manage water usage within their jurisdictions.
The Minister also urged members of the public to harvest rain water, noting that government is trying to focus on expanding access to ground water, particularly in rural areas where communities still lack reliable water supply.
“Identify springs that communities grew up using. We want to protect those springs, install pipes, build reservoirs next to them and provide water to communities,” Majodina said.
She cited an example in Mhlontlo in Qumbu, Eastern Cape, where three springs were protected, resulting in water supply to 22 communities.
“When the President said water must be priority number one, that is why we are here. Water is a social and economic need and a catalyst for development. Let us all be committed to that,” she said.
Majodina also warned that water-saving efforts would be undermined if challenges such as leaks, illegal connections, non-payment for services, and unregulated car wash outlets persist.
“It does not matter how many cubic litres are saved if there are leaks, illegal connections and a lack of enforcement of municipal by-laws. This will not assist our country,” she said.
The Minister was speaking on the last day of her two-day oversight visit to Lesotho to monitor progress on Phase II of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP).
During the oversight on 14 and 15 December 2025, the Minister visited the construction site of Polihali Dam, and the Katse Dam Outfall Tunnel system and the Senqu bridge, among other infrastructure associated to the project.
She expressed satisfaction with the progress made across the project, adding that houses built for affected communities are expected to be handed over to the beneficiaries by May next year.
“The feeder roads are progressing well. The only outstanding issue is the amendment of the Treaty to allow the project to be handed over to the Lesotho Government for maintenance,” she said.
Majodina also emphasised the need to actively market the recently revamped, state-of-the-art lodge at Katse to ensure its productive use, including the conference facilities.
“Having botanical garden demonstrates our commitment to protect and preserve our environment, and indigenous plants. These [infrastructure projects] have created about 16 000 jobs, and more jobs are to be created. We are packaging a progress report for the next Cabinet meeting,” Majodina said.
The Minister said government wants South Africa to be fully prepared for Phase II of the project, which will significantly increase the volume of water supplied to the country.
She stressed the importance of building reservoirs, fixing leaks and ensuring that water from Phase II benefits additional provinces, including parts of the North West, Free State and Mpumalanga.
“Rand Water is ready for more water to come. They have built enough infrastructure,” Majodina said. – SAnews.gov.za
