Mahlobo: Criminality biggest obstacle to timely completion of water projects - EWN

Deputy Water and Sanitation Minister David Mahlobo said that criminality remains the biggest stumbling block to the timeous completion of mega water infrastructure projects around the country.

On Tuesday, the department provided Parliament’s portfolio committee with a status update on the progress of these projects, revealing that most of them are running behind schedule.

But Mahlobo appealed to the committee to look at how far the department has come since the years of leadership instability and being technically bankrupt in 2017, to getting these projects off the ground.

Updating the committee on six mega projects, including the Lesotho Highlands Water Project, and the building of dams in Clanwilliam and Tzaneen, the department cited several reasons for their slow progress.

These include pushback from local communities and businesses, poor workmanship, procurement challenges and the construction mafia looking for a cut of the deal.

But Mahlobo said that given its precarious past, the department should not be judged on its failures.

"Progress has been made, challenges remain, there’s a clear response. Maybe the response and the pace may not be at the level we want. But at least we are [moving] in the right direction. "