Cape town: Deputy President Paul Mashatile has reaffirmed government's commitment to ensuring access to sufficient, safe, and reliable water, as parts of the country continue to grapple with supply challenges. 'We have come up with several resolutions that will assist provinces and municipalities and all water authorities to be able to manage our water supplies,' the Deputy President said on Thursday. He was responding to Oral Questions in the National Assembly as part of Parliament's oversight and accountability processes. According to South African Government News Agency, one of the important issues raised was that water authorities must maintain infrastructure, invest more in water infrastructure, and address problems caused by leaks. Mashatile stated, 'We lose a lot of clean water through leakages or leaks all over the country. That's what we have emphasised to all these water authorities. to ensure that the bulk supply of water is reliable.' The focus remains on reticulation, particularly in municipalit ies, to ensure that once water reaches the reservoirs, it reaches households and businesses. As part of efforts to reverse the long-term decline in service delivery, National Treasury has introduced a performance-based incentive grant to unlock R100 billion in investment, encouraging metropolitan municipalities to deliver reliable water, electricity, sanitation, and refuse removal services. "Metropolitan municipalities are now developing water and sanitation turnaround strategies, as part of the Reform of Metropolitan Trading Services Programme," Mashatile stated. To assist Gauteng municipalities in improving water supply, the Department of Water and Sanitation has confirmed an increase of 200 megalitres in the water use license allocated to Rand Water. This expansion enables Rand Water to extract and treat additional volumes, which will support the stabilisation of municipal water supply systems and strengthen delivery to households and businesses. Immediate relief is being sought through the commissionin g of the Brixton Reservoir and insourcing of water tankers. Long-term stability is expected from the 20 million litre Carlswald Reservoir and expanded Rand Water capacity. These interventions, along with leak repairs and stricter water use enforcement, aim to ensure that every household has access to a reliable water supply. Meanwhile, the Deputy President emphasized that abandoning Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) is not an option. The policy is intended to advance economic transformation and increase the economic participation of black people in South Africa. 'Abandoning B-BBEE would mean abandoning transformation itself. B-BBEE is a necessary tool for transformation, essential for achieving economic equality,' he said. The government is embarking on a two-phase review of the B-BBEE framework, led by the Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, Parks Tau. The review aims to strengthen the execution of Section 9(2) of the South African Constitution, focusing on reimagining economic trans formation and accelerating the participation of black South Africans in the economy. Key interventions in this review include improving the effectiveness of B-BBEE implementation, addressing implementation gaps and compliance, setting timelines for milestones, and linking B-BBEE with the growth path and industrial policy.