Rejoice Mabudafhasi, the Deputy Minister Water and Environmental Affairs, has made a public statement congratulating the winners of the 2013 Water Sector Awards on Water Conservation and Water Demand Management (WC/WDM). The awards ceremony took place at Gallagher Estate, Gauteng on 18 October 2013.

According to the statement, the Department of Water Affairs has a vision of a South Africa that has an embedded and actively applied culture of water conservation and water demand management in which all sectors must share water resources in an equitable and sustainable manner. Through the Water Conservation and Water Demand Management (WCWDM) Sector Awards, the department seeks to create a platform and an enabling environment for all role players and stakeholders from all sectors to start appreciating and understanding the importance of conserving water.

“According to the study conducted by the Water Research Commission, the country loses at least 37% of its water through Non-Revenue Water. This equates to about R7 Billion loss per annum in revenue for municipalities. Our future water security and sustainability will only be guaranteed when government, private sector and civil society take the responsibility of conserving and preserving the water resources which we have access to today”, said Mabudafhasi.

The winners were awarded in recognition and acknowledgement of their initiatives in water conservation and water demand management per category as follows:

AGRICULTURE

Position 1: Lower Olifants River Water Users Association – Western Cape;

Position 2: Water Research Commission – Gauteng;

BUSINESS

Position 1: Sun City Resort – North West;

Position 2: Garden Court Hartfield – Gauteng;

INDUSTRY, MINING AND POWER GENERATION

Position 1: Richards Bay Minerals – KwaZulu Natal;

Position 2: Eskom – Gauteng;

Position 3: Optimum Coal Mine – Mpumalanga;

DOMESTIC OR LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Local Municipalities

Position 1: Emfuleni (Sasol & GIZ) – Gauteng;

Position 2: Drakenstein – Western Cape;

Position 3: New Castle – KwaZulu Natal

Metropolitan and District Municipalities

Position 1: City of Cape Town – Western Cape;

Position 2: Johannesburg Water – Gauteng;

Position 3: City of Tshwane – Gauteng