3 March 2006
South Africa will be celebrating its first national Sanitation Week this
year from 6 to 10 March 2006. This awareness week follows a commitment made by
Minister Buyelwa Sonjica at the 2004 Global Wash Forum in Dakar for such an
international event to be held. The main objective of Sanitation Week is to
raise the profile of sanitation and encourage municipalities and communities to
prioritise sanitation.
Minister Sonjica said that although water supply is a major issue to
communities, water supply and sanitation facilities do not transform health on
its own. âA major part of good sanitation includes appropriate health and
hygiene awareness and behaviourâ. For this reason the theme for Sanitation Week
is âWashing of hands for a healthy lifeâ.
âSanitation is, however, not only a local issue but a major challenge
worldwide therefore the international commitment to eradicating the sanitation
backlog by 2015. On its part the South African government is working towards
ensuring that all people living in South Africa have access to an appropriate,
acceptable, safe and affordable basic sanitation service. Our Government has
committed to eradicating the sanitation backlog by 2010,â Minister Sonjica
said.
Sanitation Week will in future be an annual event of the Department of Water
Affairs and Forestry and will culminate into National Water Week in March. Both
campaigns serve as a powerful mechanism to popularise the importance of water
and sanitation to the general public and to the general water stakeholder
group. It creates a platform for the Department and other relevant stakeholders
to communicate important water and sanitation messages to the public.
Minister Sonjica, will on Tuesday, 7 March 2006, launch the first Sanitation
Week in South Africa.
She will launch the bucket eradication project in Tarkastad, Tsolwana Local
Municipality, under the jurisdiction of the Chris Hani District Municipality.
This particular event will not only mark the launch of the bucket eradication
project but will also seek to practically demonstrate the role of women and
youth in the implementation of sanitation projects. The 2006 International
theme is Putting Women at the centre of Water Supply, Sanitation and
Hygiene.
The project, which is aimed at eradicating the bucket toilet system in the
area, is one of many that will be implemented throughout the country as the
Department gears itself to meet the presidential call of eradicating bucket
sanitation by 2007.
As part of Sanitation Week celebrations, the Minister will also deliver a
keynote address at the Baswa le Meetse Awards to be held at Gallagher Estate,
Johannesburg on Friday, 10 March 2006. The Baswa le Meetse Awards are aimed at
recognising the role of youth in education and awareness campaigns around water
and sanitation related issues. Grade 6 learners will convey education messages
through drama, traditional music, poetry, praise singing and poster
development. The Baswa Le Meetse starts with competitions from district,
provincial and national levels and culminates to the award ceremony. The
Manager of the competition in the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, Ms
Nomxolisi Matyana, said the event has generated a great deal of interest among
children from the nine provinces and they stand to win various prizes.
Various sanitation week events will be held in all the nine provinces.
A key message during Sanitation Week is to appeal to South Africans to
remember to wash their hands after using the toilet, before eating and before
touching food. It is a fact that faecal matter causes the majority of illness
in the world. Germs play a major part in the millions of cases of diarrhoea
among children under the age of five years worldwide every year. Almost 50% of
all reported diseases are related to poor sanitation.
Enquiries:
Mrs Nomxolisi Matayana
Tel: (012) 336 7585 or 336 8724
Mr Themba Khumalo
Tel: (012) 336 8270
Cell: 082 802 3432
Issued by: Department of Water Affairs and Forestry
3 March 2006
