Cape Town - More than a billion rand is owed by local authorities to the central water department, according to Buyelwa Sonjica, the Water Affairs Minister.
Giving a written answer to a Parliamentary question on Wednesday, the minister told Gareth Morgan of the Democratic Alliance that the total debt owed by municipal and district councils was R1 049 707 373.87.
Metropolitan councils on the other hand are in credit with the department by R8 554 086.26.
The bulk of the sums owed to her department are arrear debts of the local municipalities, which total R812m, to which another R45m of current debt must be added.