- WaterCAN has called for an urgent, independent audit of all South Africa’s water boards.
- Executive Manager Dr Ferrial Adam condemned the waste as “immoral and unacceptable”.
- The organisation warns that without accountability, transparency and financial reform at water boards, South Africa’s water crisis will deepen.
WaterCAN is calling for an urgent, independent audit of all water boards in South Africa following revelations that uMngeni-uThukela Water spent nearly R400,000 on international trips – including a first-class flight to the New York Marathon – while communities under its mandate endure daily water shortages and sewage pollution.
“This is a shocking abuse of public funds at a time when millions of South Africans live without reliable access to clean water,” said Dr Ferrial Adam, Executive Manager of WaterCAN. “Communities are queuing for tankers, schools are testing unsafe drinking water, and rivers are running with sewage – yet executives are flying first class to marathons. It is immoral and unacceptable.”
Adam said the beneficiaries of the excessive international travel “must be ordered to pay back the money,” and that any officials responsible should be disciplined and removed from their posts.
“It’s yet another example of how out of touch such entities are with the realities on the ground,” Adam said. “We’re facing widespread contamination, over-abstraction by multiple municipalities and boards, collapsing infrastructure, and above-inflation tariff hikes that citizens shoulder every year. To spend public funds on staff junkets is tone-deaf and shows a complete lack of awareness or accountability.”
uMngeni-uThukela Water supplies bulk water to eThekwini, uMgungundlovu, and uMhlathuze – areas where WaterCAN’s citizen science testing has repeatedly shown high bacterial contamination.
“The Auditor-General has already warned of financial chaos within water boards, but there has been no systemic reform,” Adam said. “We need a full audit of every water board – their budgets, travel expenses, procurement, and sponsorships – to expose how public money is being diverted from critical repairs and maintenance. Until accountability returns to our water institutions, South Africa’s water crisis will deepen.”
For media queries contact:
Jonathan Erasmus – Communiciations Manager WaterCAN: 073 227 6075
#WaterJusticeNow #AuditTheWaterBoards #WaterCAN
