Keynote address by Ms Nomvula Mokonyane, Minister of Water and Sanitation during the occasion of thanksgiving in Maluti-A-Phofung Local Municipality, Free State Province
Programme Director,
Today, we gather to pray to God - in the form of thank-giving - because we understand and respect the power of God. Our prayer is one way of appreciating this power of God, the power to bring light where there is darkness, the power to give strength where there is weakness and the power to overcome hardship.
We know that when our people were faced with adversity it was the power of prayer and faith that provided fortitude and determination to strive for change. We shall therefore continue to call on our God to be with us at all times.
The scripture in 2 Chronicles 7:14-15 teaches about what God spoke about His people, and we are part of His people:
“If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear and heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. My eyes will be open and my ears attentive to prayer made in this place.”
In the throes of the most ravaging drought South Africa ever experienced, in many decades, South Africans across the country, led by a number of anointed men and women of collar heeded the call to pray for rain believing that God will respond positively to the pleas. And most definitely God did answer that call and provided us with the much-needed rain to avert a looming disaster.
Today, we have among us, one of the sons of the soil, the anointed man of God, Prophet Paseka Motsoeneg, also known as Prophet Mboro of Incredible Happenings Ministries, to give thanks to the Almighty for His intervention in bringing back the showers. Yet we know that it will take some time before we can claim that we are completely out of the woods.
Last year on the 6th of November together with the Mayor of Ekurhuleni Mzwandile Masina I attended the church service dedicated to praying for rain at Prophet Moboro’s church in Katlehong. It was at this service that Prophet Mboro made a commitment that for the following seven weeks his Incredible Happenings Ministries church will embark on prayers for rain.
In the true spirit of a servant of God, Prophet Mboro declared and decreed that: "For the next seven weeks we will be praying for rain and at the end of the seven weeks, there will be no shortage of rain because Jesus said ask and you shall receive. At the end of the seven weeks we will see change if we believe. I'm not the one who is going to bring rain; it's God."
At the time of this prayer service the gravity of the drought did not seem to be abating and the national average dam level was sitting at 34.0%. The Free State, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and North West provinces were at the time worst affected.
The efforts by the Prophet to have a church service dedicated to praying for the rain was no mean feat, especially that Prophet was the first church leader to have invited government to pray for rain.
At this juncture, I wish to reflect on what I said at the same church service to indicate the severity of the drought with its attendant results of water shortages and express our collective belief in God:
"Many of us live under the illusion that through our hands we can create and yet in terms of drought we realise how utterly dependent we are on the Almighty to meet our basic needs for life including water.
Today we came here to ask for your prayers so that God can help us to get a drop [of rain]. God must hear our prayers and let it rain but we know that it will happen only if we believe and have hope,"
After praying it was all hands on deck, working and fixing pipes and other infrastructure in anticipation of the rainy day. And this was indicative of the fact we did not fold up our arms and only belief that God will provide us water without any effort on our part.
In this regard, the scripture is very instructive when it says we should always have hope and belief, but faith without works is dead:
As the Epistle of James 2 verse 14-17 states:
“What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Depart in peace, be warmed and filled’ but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself if it does not have works is dead.”
Program Director,
With regards to the situation of water shortages and drought alleviation here in Maluti-A-Phofung the Department of Water and Sanitation through the Sedibeng Water board carried out a number of interventions to improve access to water by the community.
The municipality was identified by the department as one of the municipalities which was severely affected by drought especially in the rural areas and the town of Qwaqwa. The town of Qwaqwa is mainly dependent on the Fika-Patso and Makwane dams for its water supply. Due to the drought that affected approximately 80% of Qwaqwa, water supply whereby the dam level was at 6%, most pipelines were left without water supply for about a year and two month.
Subsequent to another of engagements between the Department of Water and Sanitation with the Malui-A-Phofung Local Municipality, a Ministerial directive was issued to Sedibeng Water to deal with the water problems in Municipality.
The directive entails; the refurbishment and repair of the main pipes, valves, bulk meters, telemetry system and pump stations for urgent and sustainable water supply in all affected areas.
To date, Sedibeng Water has undertaken the following corrective measures to deal with the water problems at the following areas:
- Mabolela - leakages in the network were repaired completely;
- Poelong pump station – the repair work on the pump was completed;
- Qololosing pump station – the repair work on 2 pumps and motors was completed;
- Shehlajaneng pump station – the motors were repaired and the pump was replaced with a new one;
- Bolata pump station to surrounding reservoirs – leakages were repaired on the line. The line was re-routed at Phamong grave yard;
- Inthabazwe / Harrismith - network extension of 1,5 km at lower part of Inthabazwe was done;
- Masianokeng pump station – rewiring work completed at the pump station and installation of pumps to be completed today;
- De Bult to Makgalaneng / Dithothaneng gravity line – new pipes have already been ordered and delivered. The installation will be completed on 13 April 2017;
- Part of gravity line from Bolata and Paballong pump station – the replacement of the old pipeline is in progress. The installation of the new pipeline will be completed at the end of April 2017;
- Mphatlalatsane – the repair work of the supply pipeline to the reservoir to be completed at the end of April 2017;
It is worth noting, that the latest dam level of Fika Patso is 70%, and the following areas are supplied with water: Namahadi, Boiketlo, Harankopane, Senyamo, Letshelamaduke, Marakong; bolata, Mantsubise and Thaba Bosiu, to name but a few,
As soon as the work at Masianokeng pump station is completed, water supply will be made available to various areas through the five reservoirs of Moeding, Thibella and Phomeleng, Pitseng and Dinkweng.
In conclusion, let me say, It is evident that the various interventions in the Maluti-a-Phofung Local Municipality, albeit not comprehensive, have yielded positive results towards improving the lives of the people living in the municipal area. Yet more needs to be done!
As God fearing nation, we need to earnestly continue praying and ask for God’s will to prevail in bringing in about more rain. Our prayers and thanks also go to all those who have worked tirelessly at a technical level to ensure that the infrastructure get prepared and improved to supply water to the people.
Finally, we call on all communities to continue saving water and also urge the municipality to seriously look into employing other means and innovative ways of water conservation and reuse.
May God Bless you.
Dankie Ngiyabonga
