Corruption in water sector washed away many jobs and billions of rand

CAPE TOWN – Corruption in the water sector involving all levels of society has cost jobs and billions of rand.

Corruption Watch and the Water Integrity Network implicated tanker drivers, municipal plumbers, national ministers and directors of multinational companies in their report.

The report, released yesterday, revealed the involvement of an array of players from plumbers, tanker drivers and senior officials to mayors, ministers and the many private businesses that benefited from corruption, and in some cases actively promoted it.

It said while there was corruption prior to 2014 – investigations worth R50million were under way at the time – by the time former minister of water and sanitation Nomvula Mokonyane left in 2018, irregular expenditure had ballooned to more than R4billion with new cases being uncovered. Other abuses occurred in the provision of portable chemical toilets, the awarding of mining water licences, managing water pollution and abstraction.

The report said strategies included the capture of entire water sector organisations. But every facet of management has been exploited, including policy making, procurement, and operational and contract administration. Collusive business practices have helped to create an environment for corruption. And, even at the level of the household tap, corrupt officials have found ways to exploit people’s basic needs for personal profit.