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Anton Bredell, Western Cape minister for local government, environmental affairs, and development planning represented the Western Cape government at the Hamburg Sustainability Conference on 2 June, during a panel discussion on food security and water management in the context of global climate change.
Food production and water security
Minister Bredell said water security and food production systems are directly linked in the Western Cape, as it is a water-scarce region. Climate change is making the region hotter and drier, with more intense wildfires, droughts, and floods. “We also have the added complexity of poverty, inequality, and a fast-growing population. These socio-economic dynamics make it very challenging to plan, budget, and construct the water and wastewater infrastructure we need to provide future water security in our region.”
The average daily water consumption per person in South Africa is 216 litres, higher than the international average of 173 litres. In the Western Cape it is the lowest in South Africa, at 160 litres, minister Bredell said.
The Western Cape manages to generate revenue from 70,4% of water supplied to consumers, meaning that 30% of water is either lost in the system, or it was delivered to a consumer without generating any revenue. A portion of the non-revenue water is water supplied free of charge to poor and vulnerable residents. This is part of a dignity basket, which also includes a set amount of free electricity and other basic municipal services.
Insufficient water dignity
“Our research on what constitutes water dignity, found that the current 6 kilolitres a month per household, as prescribed in South African legislation, is not sufficient, and it should be much higher, at 15 kilolitres per household. These findings raise serious questions on our approach to water management in South Africa and especially in our local governments, where rate payers are being pushed to pay more for services to also help subsidise the dignity basket to an increasing number of indigent households.”
Minister Bredell said there are only limited opportunities for additional bulk water storage in the Western Cape, and as such, future water security will have to come from improved supply and demand management, alternative sources such as ground water, the reuse of water, and desalination.
The Western Cape Government is budgeting R32 million for the 2025/26 financial year to support municipalities with water and wastewater infrastructure projects. – Wouter Kriel, spokesperson for minister Anton Bredell, Western Cape minister of local government, environmental affairs and development planning
