NATIONAL NEWS - The Western Cape Department of Agriculture (WCDoA)in a statement on 8 June rejected the race-based quotas for the allocation of water licenses as proposed by the Department of Water and Sanitation’s (DWS) draft revised regulations on water use licenses.

Ivan Meyer, provincial minister of agriculture, said the Western Cape Government (WCG) supports a needs-based approach as opposed to a race-based approach in the allocation of water licenses. 

"The current water governance system in South Africa (SA) is highly problematic and hugely ineffective, and a race-based quota water allocation system will further collapse water governance in SA."

Economic knock-on effect

Meyer said the Western Cape is South Africa’s largest export region. The proposed regulation will harm farms and exports, and have a knock-on effect on the economy.

“Any regulation which threatens jobs is simply a bad policy. With a devastatingly high unemployment rate in the country and growing inequality, the government should cut red tape and open as many doors as possible to make getting a job as easy as possible. The WCG supports redress in the agri-value chain through the commodity approach which is based on collaboration with industry partners who share our approach to transformation.

“A needs-based approach will not only ensure a fair allocation of water licenses but also protect jobs and food security. As government we have a critical role to play in creating an enabling economic environment, not destroying it,” said Meyer.

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