Minister Molewa’s Budget Speech 2013 for DWA: Infrastructure, interim water supply, internal controls and skills development, NWRS2, roll-out of CMAs

Minister Edna Molewa's 2013 budget speech focuses on a 'decade of equity and redistribution' for South Africa's water sector. Key initiatives include the R4.334 billion Interim Water Supply Programme for rural backlogs, a projected R670 billion infrastructure need over ten years, and the gazetting of the National Water Resource Strategy (NWRS-2). The speech details several major dam and pipeline projects, such as the De Hoop and Mzimvubu projects, and reports on efforts to combat illegal water use and acid mine drainage.

• The DWA is launching the Interim Water Supply Programme in July 2013 to address water backlogs in rural areas, specifically targeting 23 District Municipalities prioritised by Cabinet. The programme is funded via the Municipal Water Infrastructure Grant (MWIG) with a total budget of R4.334 billion over the MTEF period.
• South Africa faces a significant infrastructure funding gap; while capital investment for the water and sanitation value chain is estimated at R670 billion over the next ten years (R67 billion annually), only 45% (R30 billion per year) is currently available from existing sources.
• The government is implementing several large-scale water augmentation projects: the De Hoop Dam is in its final stage of completion with R4.5 billion invested; the Komati Water Augmentation Project has been completed, providing 57 million cubic meters of water per annum; and the Mzimvubu Water Project is in detailed planning, with the Ntabelanga dam site identified as the best for domestic and irrigation supplies.
• The DWA is reforming its policy and institutional framework, including the intention to gazette the National Water Resource Strategy (NWRS-2) in June 2013 and a review of the National Water Act and Water Services Act. Additionally, the number of Catchment Management Agencies (CMAs) has been reduced from 19 to 9, and the number of Water Boards is being decreased from 12 to 9.
• Water loss in the distribution system is a major concern, with a Water Research Commission report indicating that approximately 36% of clean drinking water is lost due to illegal use, leaking pipes, and dripping taps.
• The 'Blue Scorpions' enforcement unit has successfully stopped the theft of approximately 50 million cubic meters of water per annum nationwide, with 26 million cubic meters recovered in the upper Vaal area alone.

APA

Molewa, E. (2013). Minister Molewa’s Budget Speech 2013 for DWA: Infrastructure, interim water supply, internal controls and skills development, NWRS2, roll-out of CMAs. Centre for Environmental Rights. https://cer.org.za/news/minister-molewas-budget-speech-2013-for-dwa-interim-water-supply-programme-nwrs2-roll-out-of-cmas-sips

Chicago

Molewa, Edna. Minister Molewa’s Budget Speech 2013 for DWA: Infrastructure, interim water supply, internal controls and skills development, NWRS2, roll-out of CMAs. Centre for Environmental Rights, 2013. https://cer.org.za/news/minister-molewas-budget-speech-2013-for-dwa-interim-water-supply-programme-nwrs2-roll-out-of-cmas-sips.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Molewa |first1=Edna |title=Minister Molewa’s Budget Speech 2013 for DWA: Infrastructure, interim water supply, internal controls and skills development, NWRS2, roll-out of CMAs |publisher=Centre for Environmental Rights |date=21 May 2013 |url=https://cer.org.za/news/minister-molewas-budget-speech-2013-for-dwa-interim-water-supply-programme-nwrs2-roll-out-of-cmas-sips |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{molewa2013minister, author = {Molewa, Edna}, title = {{Minister Molewa’s Budget Speech 2013 for DWA: Infrastructure, interim water supply, internal controls and skills development, NWRS2, roll-out of CMAs}}, publisher = {Centre for Environmental Rights}, year = {2013}, month = may, url = {https://cer.org.za/news/minister-molewas-budget-speech-2013-for-dwa-interim-water-supply-programme-nwrs2-roll-out-of-cmas-sips}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }