Free water allowance for 23 million people

More than half of the South African population began receiving a free basic water allowance from 1 July, according to news reports. In a statement issued to mark the official start of the government’s policy to supply households with a basic six kilolitres of water for free each month, Water Affairs and Forestry Minister Ronnie Kasrils said 23 million people already enjoyed the benefit. A further 15 million South Africans lived in areas where municipalities had either not yet decided to implement the policy, or were in the process of doing so, he said. “The department will now be focusing on assisting those local authorities still having to implement the policy,” Kasrils added. Provincial support units were in place to help in this regard.

“I need to emphasis that consumers should continue paying for water until their respective local governments have informed them of their arrangements. In many of the rural areas, the department is still the water service provider, and although water is provided free, there is often inadequate control over the actual usage. The department will continue to transfer water schemes to local authorities, assisting them to manage these schemes, but also to enable them to provide free basic water,” Kasrils said.