Wednesday, May 1, 2024

Rand Water extremely concerned about misinformation in the media regarding costs for the provision of potable water infrastructure to schools

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Rand Water is a proud partner of the Department of Basic Education’s national return to school programme and to ensure safe and clean water for those school communities in need.

Rand Water was appointed as the Implementing Agent, after an Implementation Protocol between ourselves and the Departments of Basic Education (DBE) and Water and Sanitation (DWS) was finalised on 13 May 2020.

The Implementation Protocol is per the Intergovernmental Relations Act, 2005 (Act No 13 of 2005).

READ ALSO: GMM faces water shortages due to non-payment https://thebulletin.co.za/2020/03/08/gmm-faces-water-shortages-due-to-nonpayment/

We have noted with concern the misinformation quoted in media articles as well as on social media platforms exaggerating the supplier costs for water tanks used during the intervention.

It is important to note that all the service providers that were contracted as part of this intervention are accredited vendors registered on the National Treasury’s Central Supplier Database (CSD).

The CSD is a database of organisations, institutions and individuals who can provide goods and services to government.

It is the single source of key supplier information for organs of state since April 2016, and it provides consolidated, accurate, up-to-date, complete and verified supplier information to procuring organs of state.

All the costs for the successful implementation of the intervention fall well within the market price range for the equipment and installation costs utilised for the intervention. 

The costs are as follow: 

The cost for the supply of a 5000 litre tank ranged between R 4 500.00 and R 5 400.00.

The cost for the supply of a 10 000 litre tank ranged between R 9 000.00 and R 10 800.00. 

The Implementation Protocol has a contractual value of R 600 million to be payable by the DBE to Rand Water.

To date the DBE has transferred an amount of R 200 million to Rand Water.

READ ALSO: RAND WATER INTERVENES IN THE PROVISION OF POTABLE WATER INFRASTRUCTURE TO SCHOOLShttps://www.randwater.co.za/Rand%20Water%20Documents/Media%20Statement%20020620.pdf

The Implementation Protocol is for Rand Water to supply and install water tanks and to provide water-cutting services to the respective schools during the declared national disaster period.

An important second phase of the intervention is the construction of sustainable water sources for the schools through borehole drilling and pumping, as well as the establishment of reticulation systems to the closest source of water wherever possible.