The National Pricing Strategy for Raw Water Use is a topic on which the Department of Water and Sanitation has requested input from members of the public and industry players.
The pricing strategy is a framework for the pricing of water use for South Africa’s water resource, including the use of raw water from rivers, boreholes, and/or supplied by government schemes, as well as the discharge of water into a water resource or onto land.
The pricing strategy was published in the Government Gazette.
According to section 56 of the National Water Act (NWA), Act 36 of 1998, the Finance and Water Ministers may occasionally adopt a pricing strategy for any water usage within the parameters of the current relevant government policy.
Sputnik Ratau, a department spokesperson, outlined how the pricing plan may distinguish on an equitable basis, based on geographic locations, between different types of water usage, and between individual water users in accordance with Section 56 (3) (a) of the NWA.
In place of the old three water user categories, he claimed the pricing plan now includes six, better representing the various water user groups and enabling more precisely targeted charges.
The five water resource charges that are covered by the updated pricing strategy are the Water Resource Management Charge, Water Resources Infrastructure Charges, Waste Mitigation Charge, Water Research Levy, and Economic Regulation Charge, according to Ratau.
Email pricing-strategy@dws.gov.za/NyabanyabaL@dws.gov.za with any written comments.
From September 6 to September 14, 2022, the department plans to hold consultation meetings in Mpumalanga and Gauteng over the water price strategy.
The consultations in Mpumalanga will be held in Emalahleni on September 6, Malelane on September 7, and Mbombela on September 8, 2022.
The Gauteng consultations will take place on September 12 in Vanderbijlpark, September 13 in Alberton, and September 14 in Pretoria 2022.
Before the plan is finalised, the department will carefully evaluate any comments received from members of the public and sector stakeholders by 3 November 2022.