{"id":55738,"date":"2022-11-07T12:09:56","date_gmt":"2022-11-07T12:09:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dailysouthafrica.com\/?p=55738"},"modified":"2022-11-08T12:10:41","modified_gmt":"2022-11-08T12:10:41","slug":"water-and-sanitation-holds-national-consultation-on-draft-nwria-bill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailysouthafrica.com\/water-and-sanitation-holds-national-consultation-on-draft-nwria-bill\/","title":{"rendered":"Water and Sanitation holds national consultation on draft NWRIA bill"},"content":{"rendered":"

Water and Sanitation Director-General Dr Sean Phillips led a national public consultation in Boksburg, on 4 November 2022, to present the draft National Resource Infrastructure Agency (NWRIA) Bill for public comment and input from the sector stakeholders.<\/p>\n

The Bill seeks to establish the NWRIA, which will result in the bulk water infrastructure, its asset management and revenue collection functions integrated, owned, and managed under one entity and be able to raise finance for requisite further infrastructure development.<\/p>\n

The Director-General said the aim of agency was to get a better method of funding than what the department is currently managing. \u201cAn agency would be better positioned to raise funds from sources other than the fiscus, from which the department is currently dependent,\u201d Dr Phillips explained.<\/p>\n

Dr Phillips highlighted that in terms of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA), listing and authority, credit rating and condition of assets, the Agency could raise commercial and development finance, domestically and internationally, while for some projects, it could also enter public-private partnerships.<\/p>\n

\u201cOther rationale for the establishment of the agency include governance and transparency. Establishing the NWRIA will strengthen governance & transparency in the water sector by separating the roles of player and referee.<\/p>\n

\u201cThird reasoning is that the NWRIA will address the current fragmentation of asset management and revenue collection functions for national water resource infrastructure,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

The Agency is to be registered as a state-owned company in terms of the Companies Act, 2008 (Act No. 71 of 2008) and listed as a major public entity in terms of schedule 2 of the PFMA.<\/p>\n

The mandate of the NWRIA is to:<\/p>\n