L Hendricks: Bucket Eradication Programme launch

13 December 2007

MEC
Members of Parliament
Members of the Provincial Legislature
Mayors, Councillors, Community Leaders
Salga representatives
Representatives of non-governmental organisations and community based
organisations
Government officials
Programme Director
Ladies and gentlemen

I am pleased to be here today and join the community of Paterson to
celebrate the removal of buckets in this area, and to talk to you about the
successes we have achieved across the country in our bucket eradication
programme. The bucket system can only be described as demeaning for those who
have been required use this system and the eradication of buckets is something
that we can be proud of.

One of the biggest challenges that we have faced as the democratic
government has been the need to provide our people with even the most basic
infrastructure that the Apartheid State denied us. While the backlog still
remains significant we have done very well since 1994 to address the needs of
our people. In 2005 we found that over 250 000 buckets were still being used in
settlements established before 1994, and we embarked on a massive campaign to
rid the country of these buckets and replace them with adequate and decent
sanitation.

President Mbeki in his State of the Nation Address in 2006 announced that
"government has decided that we must completely eradicate, in the established
settlements, the 'bucket toilets' by the end of 2007."

During this year's State of the Nation Address the President confirmed our
progress on the eradication of buckets when he said: "We are proud that within
one year, we have been able to reduce the backlog in the eradication of the
bucket system in established settlements by almost half. We are on course to
put an end to this dehumanising system in these areas by the end of this year.
We will continue to confront these challenges so as to erase in our country
that which is ugly and repulsive so that together we can speak of freedom and
the happiness that comes with liberty."

We have done well and are close to achieving this target. By the end of this
year almost 95% of the buckets that were in use in settlements established
prior to 1994 would have been removed and replaced with adequate sanitation. By
March next year all of these buckets would have been removed. The remarkable
progress has been made is indeed something to be proud of.

Earlier this week we joined the world in celebrating International Human
Rights Day. This day formed part of our 16 days of activism for no violence
against women and children. In December 1948 the United Nations adopted a
Universal Declaration of Human Rights to promote Human Rights, and to recognise
the inherent dignity and the equal rights of all members of the human family,
which is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world.

Article 22 of this Human Rights declaration talks about the need for
governments to use their resources towards the creation of dignity for members
of society. By eradicating this 'dehumanising' bucket system we are making an
important contribution to improving people's lives and giving them dignity.

When the President made the announcement that all buckets in established
formal areas should be removed by December 2007, we saw municipalities,
Provincial Government and National Government put in a great deal of extra
effort to ensure these buckets were removed and give our people more dignity.
When we talk about our government being a caring government, we can see it from
the effort that officials at all levels put into this programme to ensure that
the target is met. From all spheres of government we have embraced this
challenge with the seriousness and zeal it deserves. We have seen the political
support and commitment starting from the President through myself as Minister,
to the Premiers, MECs of Local Government, Mayors, and councillors. We must
also recognise the effort put in by the contractors who were working on the
construction of new sanitation systems. This programme is a good example of how
much we as a nation can achieve if we work together.

Honourable Mayor, I would like to congratulate all those who have been
involved in the programme to eradicate the buckets in this area, in particular
I would like to commend this municipality for making the promise of improving
the lives of our community a reality. Halala Sundays River Municipality
Halala!

Ladies and gentlemen, to get to this point it has been a long hard road and
we have faced many challenges along the way. I am therefore very proud of the
achievement of this municipality and of all other municipalities in this
province that have met this target. From across the country there are only
eight municipalities in three provinces that will not meet the December target
and I am aware that they are working overtime in order to complete the removal
of their buckets as soon as possible. In the Eastern Cape the remaining 1 316
buckets are in Doodrecht and Indwe, in the Chris Hani municipality and will be
removed early in the New Year.

While we celebrate our success here today we must be reminded of the many
challenges that still remain with us, and the many people who are living in
informal settlements that will still need to use buckets until they are
provided with housing that will have sanitation. I must make it clear that the
focus of our campaign to eradicate buckets has been on the established
settlements, and not informal settlements. So while we are saying that we have
eradicated buckets in these established areas, we are aware that there are
communities living in informal settlements that are still using this inhumane
system. Our job does not end until we can confidently say that all people in
this country have access to decent sanitation.

Bucket eradication is not the only target for my department. At the same
time as we have been removing the buckets we have also been working on ensuring
that all clinics in the country without any water and sanitation services
receive these services by end of December 2007. I am delighted to announce that
this target will be met, already about 97% of the work has been completed
throughout the country.

Another critical target for us is to provide access to water for all of our
people. I am aware that this is a major challenge for the Eastern Cape, and
even in this area there are regular shortages of water. My department has noted
the need to increase the water supply to this municipality and municipalities
in the surrounding areas, and we are working with the municipality to find the
best ways of doing so.

Even when we are able to increase the water supply, we must remember that
South Africa is a water scarce country and we must use our water sparingly.
Water is precious and we have to treat it with absolute care. Until this
additional water is brought in, the community will have to be extra vigilant in
how you use water.

Last week I launched our National Water Conservation pilot programme at an
event in the Free State. This pilot programme is being run in eight
municipalities from around the country, where the municipalities are being
supported to implement a number of measures to save water. These measures
include: a Waterwise Campaign to make people more aware of the scarcity of
water, technical interventions to repair leaks, replace the old plumbing that
uses too much water, and installing devices that can save water, economic tools
such as pricing and incentives, and bylaws on the use of water. In launching
this programme I made the point that through water conservation programmes not
only do we end up saving water and money for the municipality but we also
create employment opportunities for community members who provide plumbing as
well as leak detection and repair services.

The municipalities that have removed buckets will need to find alternative
employment for the staff that was previously involved in collecting and
sanitising the buckets, and it may be possible for them to receive training in
basic plumbing or other sanitation related skills and be redeployed in these
areas.

Ladies and gentlemen communities must also play their role and look after
the infrastructure and new toilet facilities, and I urge you to do so. Please
ensure that they are kept in good working condition, repair leaks in your homes
and report any leaks in the street to the municipality. I also encourage the
municipality to implement an operation and maintenance plan that is community
based.

Mayor, should you require it, my regional office is available to give
support to the municipality to implement a water conservation programme as well
as a groundwater management programme.

I am aware that municipalities face a number of challenges in contributing
to the targets as well as delivering on their day to day responsibilities. Such
challenges may include accessing the MIG allocations, ability to attract
technical expertise (particularly to rural areas), the development of bulk
schemes, and security of water resources, amongst others. My department has
been working with municipalities to address these challenges, and in
recognition of our efforts we have won for the second year in succession the
Vuna Award for our continued and exemplary support to local government.

To conclude ladies and gentlemen, the replacement of buckets with decent
sanitation systems is a reason to celebrate. The success we have achieved in
the bucket eradication programme has laid a solid foundation for meeting our
target to provide water and sanitation to all in the country. We have seen the
impact we can make by working together, and we need to build on the momentum
created so far and ensure that commitment and focus required to meet these
remaining targets are not lost. The importance of effective leadership cannot
be overemphasised as we move towards meeting the water and sanitation targets.
I am sure I can rely on this municipality to again show excellence when it
comes to these targets.

In closing, I will like to reiterate the commitment of my department to
assist the municipalities in this area to source funding and ensure that water
supply is improved and is sustainable. We are committed to creating a better
life and giving people their dignity by being able to access these basic
services, we have not forgotten the rural poor and other communities who have
been waiting patiently for the better life promised them. As government, we
stand by our commitment to ensure that water and sanitation become a
reality.

I thank you

Issued by: Department of Water Affairs and Forestry
13 December 2007