Deputy Director General at the Department of Water and Environmental Affairs Trevor Balzer has blamed a lack of engineers, technicians and artisans in municipalities for their inability to deal with the breakdown of infrastructure.

“One of the issues we have to deal with… is that in the rural areas and smaller municipalities 48 percent of water infrastructure doesn’t work. That is due to the municipalities not having engineers, technicians and artisans to deal with the breakdown of the infrastructure,” says Balzer. He also says municipalities are dealing with the legacy of the rundown infrastructure.

This follows water shortages and subsequent protests that left four people dead in Mothutlung. Protestors took to the streets after three pumps failed. Water Affairs Minister Edna Molewa has come under criticism and has been accused of being aware of a potential water crisis in Mothutlung for years. Molewa has since admitted responsibility for the collapse of the water supply, saying that the delivery of water services was ultimately a local government responsibility.

In the wake of the recent water problems that have plagued the country, there has been talk of Public Protector Thuli Madonsela conducting a comprehensive audit of the state of water delivery and infrastructure in South Africa.There have also been calls for the constitution to be amended to allow national government to take more control of managing South Africa’s water supply and distribution.

Molewa described the country’s water situation as a “mammoth problem” which is receiving a “mammoth response”. She says a new team has been assembled to communicate better and ensure interruptions are dealt with.

Balzer says South Africa’s water issue as anenormous challenge but not a crisis. “We’re trying to deal with the problem and people need to look at the context of what the department has delivered since 1994.”