Barry Streek
Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry Ronnie Kasrils has told his Director General, Mike Muller, to break the law if it is necessary to implement his department’s water programmes.
Kasrils admitted in August that there had been underspending on water programmes and said they were being implemented too slowly because of problems with the inter-governmental fiscal system.
He told the National Council of Provinces Select Committee on Local Government and Administration that confusion still exists over the role and responsibilities of certain categories of municipalities – and the division of funds between them.
“We were concerned that administrations have not yet been fully merged and do not have the integrated development plans. This means that we should not be too hasty in insisting on detailed compliance with a set of procedures that make sense but require capacity,” Kasrils said this week.
“I have told my director general that if it is necessary to break the law to implement our water programmes then he must do so. He has said that it has not yet got to that stage, but if treasury grants the necessary exemptions, we will be able to proceed within the framework of the Division of Revenue Act.”