Service Issue 85

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S water To reduce non-revenue water, municipalities need to improve operation and maintenance of their infrastructure; repair leaks; improve metering, billing, revenue collection and debtor management; improve pressure management; and engage in community education and awareness; among other measures. THE GREEN DROP PROGRESS ASSESSMENT REPORT The Green Drop Progress Assessment report focuses on wastewater treatment works (WWTWs). It found that 64% of WWTW are at high or critical risk of discharging partially treated or untreated water into rivers and the environment. The number of WWTWs in the high- and critical-risk categories has increased since 2013. This has negative environmental implications and poses risks to human health, for example, cholera outbreaks are normally associated with wastewater pollution of water resources. CONCLUSION The Blue and No Drop Reports indicate that there has been a decline in drinking water quality and an increase in non-revenue water since the last reports were issued in 2014. The Green Drop Progress Assessment Report also indicates a deterioration in the performance of municipal wastewater treatment systems. DWS has requested WSA with water or wastewater systems in a critical state to submit detailed corrective action plans to DWS and are offered support to produce these plans. The minister and deputy ministers of Water and Sanitation spend most of their time crisscrossing the country visiting those municipalities with severe challenges with water and sanitation services, and DWS and Water Boards are supporting many of the municipalities to implement improvement plans agreed to by the ministry and municipal leadership. DWS works with CoGTA, the Municipal Infrastructure Support Agency, the Department of Human Settlements and National Treasury to provide support to the worst-performing municipalities, including allocating infrastructure grants worth more than R20-billion per annum to municipalities, providing technical and engineering support and assistance, capacity building and training, as well as financial management advice and support. However, despite all the support being provided to municipalities, the drop reports indicate that water services continue to decline and that fundamental reform is required to arrest and turn around the decline in municipal water and sanitation services. In this regard, DWS has recently gazetted the Water Services Amendment Bill for public comment. The Water Services Act distinguishes between the roles of Water Services Authority (WSA) and Water Services Provider (WSP) in municipalities. The WSA is the part of the municipality that is responsible for ensuring that water services are provided according to national norms and standards and the WSP is the part of the municipality which is responsible for providing the service. The Bill introduces a compulsory operating licence system for WSPs, to be managed by DWS as the national regulator. This will enable WSAs to ensure that WSPs have minimum competency, capability and performance levels in future. The national reports and detailed provincial reports are available for download on www.dws.gov.za. S 38 | Service magazine
telecommunications S South Africa’s economic growth requires a holistic approach to telecommunications development Following the SONA, where President Ramaphosa briefly spoke about telecommunications, several key points emerged. These included the provision for additional spectrum, emphasising the importance of Internet connectivity infrastructure development, addressing challenges such as loadshedding and the imperative of alleviating unemployment. By Praveen Govender, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer at DFA, a subsidiary of Maziv A A comprehensive strategy is needed to harness the full potential of telecommunications in driving economic growth and societal progress. The principal takeaway is the need for a holistic view of technologies as not competing but complementary, and that can collectively serve the people and stimulate economic growth. With the rollout of 5G and the imminent arrival of low-orbit, low-latency satellite broadband, there is even more opportunity for the creation of innovative products and solutions, leveraging the strengths and price benefits of fit-for-purpose technologies. SPECTRUM The provision of additional spectrum for telecommunications has been a priority, and Maziv is glad to see that this has continued with the plans to auction off more high-frequency spectrum. The spectrum availability will allow more flexibility for mobile operators and licensed Wireless Internet Service Providers (WISPs) to fasttrack Internet coverage to underserved regions of the country. This should be viewed in tandem with the pending move to shut down 2G and 3G services. We predict this will significantly impact many South Africans who use feature phones as their primary (or only) connectivity device. We support the decision to delay this action while we gather more data and roll out additional infrastructure to ensure that we don’t leave anyone behind. Current estimates indicate that about 60% of South Africans still use 3G devices, and about 4% are on 2G devices (based on 2022 data from research company Omdia). This means that potentially just under 36-million people could be affected by the change. We recommend an approach that ensures that the loss of legacy services is substituted with accessible alternatives. For example, while 2G devices are not likely to be Wi-Fi enabled, at least some 3G devices will be able to make use of Wi-Fi delivered over fibre, fixed-mobile or satellite. This consideration is crucial. The revised dates for switching off 2G and 3G, between June 2025 and December 2027, will allow for more robust discussion while also protecting the secondary industries related to these legacy devices, such as device resellers and repairs and secondhand markets so that we preserve indirect micro-economies and jobs. LOADSHEDDING The sustained and increased loadshedding has had a devastating effect on the telecommunications industry, necessitating the rapid deployment of power solutions to maintain consistent services. This includes a combination of generators, inverters and batteries, significantly increasing operating costs for infrastructure operators. These costs will inevitably be passed on to resellers and service providers, and ultimately to consumers. Market analysts predict a surge in mobile data prices, driven by the rollout and maintenance of power backup solutions, along with the increasing trend of theft and vandalism. This reinforces the importance of offering complementary technologies to consumers, allowing them to tailor their use according to their needs and budget. For example, fibre to the home remains the cheapest solution for high-speed, high-volume broadband consumption. However, consumers should also have access to broadband while not at a fixed location, where they need it. We must allow technologies to complement each other, at accessible price points, for this to happen. The provision of reliable, affordable power solutions to service providers is also key to allowing the consumer to have affordable access to multiple broadband options. UNEMPLOYMENT Although there was a slight decrease in unemployment reported by the president from 45.3% to 43.4%, these numbers remain concerning. There is no doubt that we need to address this. As Maziv, one of our imperatives is the rollout of connectivity infrastructure to enable businesses and stimulate underperforming local economies to promote job creation. Large-scale digitalisation is likely to help many small businesses become more professional and involved in the broader national and global economy. We predict that accelerated growth in the telecommunications sector, strategic partnerships and rapid deployment could potentially create and protect thousands of jobs. Government’s support and participation in the telecommunications industry are critical. S Service magazine | 39
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Page 4 and 5: S contents GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMEN
Page 6 and 7: S snippets SERVE AND DELIVER 2024 G
Page 8 and 9: S snippets SERVE AND DELIVER HOME A
Page 10: S waste Plastics industry responds
Page 13 and 14: mining and energy S Consistency in
Page 15 and 16: mining and energy S SKILLS DEVELOPM
Page 17 and 18: mining S Building for a brighter fu
Page 19 and 20: nation S President Cyril Ramaphosa
Page 21 and 22: housing S Looking ahead, I am energ
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Page 25 and 26: local governance S More than 6 000
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