Agri SA warns new water-use licences could threaten food security

Agri SA warns new water-use licences could threaten food security

An agricultural organisation has hit out at the government, accusing it of racialising water-use licence regulations. 

Agri SA warns new water-use licences could threaten food security
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Agri SA's made submissions objecting to the Water and Sanitation Department's proposed amendments for procedural requirements.

 

It says they don't work in their current form.

 

According to the draft regulations, certain enterprises wanting to take or store water must allocate up to 75% of their shares to Black South Africans to qualify for these licences. 

 

Agri SA's legal and policy executive Janse Rabie, says they met with the department in June to seek clarity on what they believe to be policy misalignments. 

 

The DWS said that the new requirements would apply to 1.5% of water resources in the country that still need to be allocated. It says the rules won't apply to licence holders applying for renewals.

 

Rabie believes the move could pose a threat to food security. 

 

"We maintain that the regulations are so rigid that they constitute racial quotas which are unlawful in terms of the National Water Act in South Africa. 

 

"In our submissions, we recommended that the limited applications are the regulations as we explained to the department and that all relevant factors listed in the National Water Act be considered in the granting of water use licence applications." 

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