7 August 2006
The Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry, Mrs Lindiwe Hendricks, is
celebrating Womenâs Day with the rural women of Kromhoek, Limpopo, on Thursday,
10 August 2006. The celebrations will take the form of a community event after
which the Minister will conduct a site visit to a nearby sanitation
project.
Kromhoek was selected after a decision was taken that the Departmentâs
Womenâs Day celebrations should be with communities who are delivering services
to their communities within the context of water, sanitation and forestry.
The Kromhoek sanitation project covers 12 villages in Blouberg Municipality
within the Capricorn District Municipality. More than 210 sanitation facilities
have been completed and around 300 are still outstanding. The Project Steering
Committee consists of seven members of whom four are women.
The project is being implemented in a phased approach and toilets are being
built by community members. A large focus of the project is health and hygiene
education. Many of the old toilet structures that do not comply with the health
and hygiene standards have been demolished. Although the area has experienced a
lack of water, a new water system is currently being put in place in order to
curb the lack of water supply. This means that households in the area will be
accessing water within their own yards.
The sanitation project has had a positive multiplying effect in the area as
a brick manufacturing project was initiated in Blouberg Municipality to supply
the sanitation project with bricks in order to construct the toilets. This
brick manufacturing project is run by four women, who also supply bricks to the
general public.
The Department of Water Affairs and Forestry is working closely with local
governments to hasten the delivery of basic needs to local communities. The
Blouberg District Municipality has put aside R5 million for the implementation
of sanitation projects in Blouberg Municipality. All 12 villages in Blouberg
Municipality will have access to proper sanitation by the beginning of
2007.
Contact:
Themba Khumalo, Media Liaison Office
Tel: (012) 336 8270
Cell: 082 802 3432
Issued by: Department of Water Affairs and Forestry
7 August 2006
Source: Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (http://www.dwaf.gov.za)
