WATER MASTER PLAN
South Africa’s quest for universal water access
By Minister Lindiwe Sisulu
The Department of Water & Sanitation’s Water Master Plan has been hailed as a strategic piece of work which has the world’s attention and, with its release, is something that South Africa can be immensely proud of. “We launched the Master Plan so that by the time it is brought to Cabinet and Parliament it represents the views of all stakeholders. I am extremely grateful for the supportive work done by my panel of advisers,” said Minister of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation, Lindiwe Sisulu. “In my budget speech I said my induction into the department when I took over a year ago was heavy and intense. We came in and found a department that no longer enjoyed the confidence of the people it served, having been eroded by a number of cases of corruption. In essence I was
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told I had inherited a bankrupt department with problems accumulated over many years. The Portfolio Committee on Water and Sanitation instructed me sort out the department and its finances - and I did just that,” she added.
Fighting corruption When Minister Sisulu assumed office the amount of irregular and wasteful expenditure in the department amounted to R16 billion, later revised upwards to an amount of R31 billion. “I have ordered investigations into these matters. Here the Stabilisation Committee served well to ensure that as we proceed with disciplinary cases,
