THURSDAY 10.30AM
THE SA Municipal Workers’ Union has accused Water Affairs and Forestry Minister Kader Asmal of engaging in secret negotiations with UK multinational Biwater, which has offered R12-billion to privatise SA’s entire water and waste services.
Samwu representative Anna Weekes said yesterday: “The fact that this sum is not public knowledge and that it covers the municipalities of the whole country seems to indicate a great deal of secrecy, which does not tie in with government and council claims that the outsourcing will be done in democratic, consultative way.”
The Samwu statement comes on the eve of countrywide industrial action by municipal workers to protest privatisation of public utilities.
A spokesman for the water affairs ministry dismissed Samwu’s claim as “false and malicious”. The department’s White Paper on water was passed by Cabinet yesterday.
The 112 000-member Samwu says its research into water privatisation around the world shows it leads to price hikes, drops in service quality and job losses.
Five companies, including Biwater, yesterday submitted final bids to manage Nelspruit’s water and waste services for the next 30 years.