Programme speech by Mrs LB Hendricks, Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry
Mount Fletcher, Eastern Cape
27 March 2007
MEC
Members of the Provincial Legislature
Honourable Mayors and Councillors
Inkosi
Communities of Ukhahlamba District Municipality
Ladies and Gentlemen
Introduction
I am very pleased to be here in Mount Fletcher to celebrate sanitation week
with you. Last week on 21 March it was a celebration of a different kind when
we celebrated Human Rights Day. This day is an important event on our calendar
where we recognise the Human Rights of our people and commemorate the tragic
loss of life on 21 March 1960 in Sharpeville, when our people were gunned down
during their protest against the pass lawsâlaws that prevented our people from
freedom of movement, a basic human right.
Since attaining democracy in 1994 and adopting our constitution in 1996 our
government has an obligation to ensure that we promote and fulfil the rights of
our people, importantly that includes the progressive provision of basic
services such as water and sanitation. It is therefore fitting that we
celebrate Human Rights Day in the same month that we have awareness campaigns
such as the National Water Week and the Sanitation Week.
Our theme for Sanitation Week is "Sanitation for Health and Dignity" and our
government recognises having acceptable levels of sanitation gives people
dignity and we are committed to our people having access to this basic human
right. The huge backlog from before 1994 has meant that despite over nine
million people receiving access to basic sanitation over the past 13 years, it
is estimated that about 15,3 million people in South Africa still do not have
access to basic sanitation services. As Government, we are very concerned about
the impact of inadequate or no sanitation, as well as insufficient supply of
clean water, as this can be seen as impeding on the very rights that we
value.
Bucket Eradication
Ladies and Gentlemen, we are living in an age of hope and a government that
cares. And there is a massive effort by all spheres of government to address
the basic, social needs of our people. In particular we are pushing to achieve
a number of sanitation targetsâwhich will see us eradicating buckets in
established areas by the end of this year, addressing the backlog in water and
sanitation in clinics and schools and providing household sanitation for all by
2010.
Already we have made substantial progress towards bucket eradication in
established areas and about 58 643 buckets were removed nationally over the
past 12 months. The President during his State of the Nation Address in
February has strongly endorsed our programme to eradicate buckets by the end of
this year and the Minister of Finance has ensured that additional funding of
R400 million is available for this critical task. Our latest figures show that
across the country about 117 000 buckets are still in existence in established
settlements, with the most significant number of buckets that still need to be
removed in the Free State.
Our confidence in achieving the goal of bucket eradication has been given a
boost by the success of this municipality. We have to congratulate Elundini,
and municipalities like this one, who have taken proactive measures in
delivering services to our people and ensuring that the promise of a better
life becomes a reality. Other municipalities must follow the good examples that
you have set, particularly in the Eastern Cape were the sanitation backlog has
been identified as one of the gravest in the country.
The Eastern Cape province has the third highest backlog in household
sanitation in the country, with 450 000 households that still need access to
adequate sanitation. Significant progress has however been achieved by this
province in the eradication of buckets, with the number of buckets drastically
reduced from 48 000 in 2004 to about 9 000 at present. An allocation of R148
million has been made available in this year to remove these remaining buckets
and the affected municipalities have confirmed that this funding is sufficient
to meet the targets.
To support our Bucket Eradication programme the Eastern Cape province is
planning to have a Bucket Eradication Summit in early May, where all the sector
partners, especially municipalities, will have the opportunity to share
experiences and the lessons learned and to raise issues with myself and the MEC
for Housing and Local Government and Traditional Affairs.
We look forward to the municipalities in this province, especially Water
Services Authorities, joining us at this exciting forum, where together we will
make commitments and come with solutions on how to meet the targets in a
sustainable manner.
Meeting the targets
Programme Director, for many municipalities particularly in our rural areas
there are challenges in their capacity to deliver sanitation services to their
community, these challenges are created partly because people with skills are
attracted to big cities and are reluctant to remain in rural areas. To support
these municipalities my department, the Department of Water Affairs and
Forestry has mobilised engineers in a special sanitation programme called
"Operation Gijima" to provide assistance and additional capacity, so these
municipalities are in a position to eradicate buckets in established areas by
December 2007 as well as provide other water and sanitation services. Part of
this support includes fast-tracking project registration and implementation.
Our support is linked to Project Consolidate, which has been put in place by
the Department of Provincial and Local Government to strengthen local
government in order to deliver on its service delivery obligations.
The involvement of the community and other stakeholders is also a critical
part of the success in delivery by government, and in the Eastern Cape we have
established Masibambane Forums, which play a major role in making sure that all
sector partners understand each otherâs roles and work together.
Provincial water committees have also been established for the
municipalities to meet and share ideas as well as to advise each other and get
guidance from the sector at large. The Provincial Sanitation Task Team is one
such structure, which assists municipalities in meeting sanitation targets.
Municipalities are urged to be part of these forums in order to access support
from sector partners.
Elundini Project
Programme Director, I am delighted today to acknowledge what has been achieved
here by the Elundini Local Municipality and Ukhahlamba District Municipality.
Through their effort, dedication and commitment they have successfully
eradicated all their buckets in the established settlements in this area
earlier than our December 2007 target. I look forward to seeing these new
structures and officially handover the new improved sanitation facilities to
the communities of Elundini Local Municipality.
I have been informed that in November 2003, the Elundini Local Municipality
Council resolved that all buckets should be eradicated and sourced funding from
the Department of Housing, Local Government and Traditional Affairs.
Having been briefed on progress within the province and within Elundini
Local Municipality I am informed that the Elundini Local Municipality and
Ukhahlamba District Municipality have eradicated 2 963 buckets in the towns of
Mount Fletcher (300), Maclear (1 378) and Ugie (1 285). I must emphasise that
now that these services have been provided you need to take care of your
sanitation facilities to ensure their sustainability.
One of our national priorities is to create jobs and reduce poverty and
sanitation is one such area to achieve this objective. In this regard my
Department has signed a memorandum of co-operation with the Job Creation Trust
to work together in the sanitation programme to create job opportunities in the
delivery of sanitation, and to develop the necessary skills so that our people
can be employable even after completion of the sanitation projects in their
communities. In addition to job creation Government is committed to supporting
youth development programmes and empowering women through our sanitation
programmes.
As part of the project implementation in this area jobs were created and
skills transferred to the communities where these buckets were eradicated. Both
skilled and semi-skilled people benefited from the project; 94 labourers were
employed, 21 of whom were females, and three of these females were supervisors.
The ultimate goal of sanitation job creation is to have members of the
community gaining skills in order to start up their own businesses and create
more employment. I have been told that some of these people have been
successful in finding employment on other projects.
Conclusion
To conclude, ladies and gentlemen, as we continue to expand access to basic
services such as water and sanitation we are creating job opportunities for our
people. It is not only in the building of the infrastructure that opportunities
exist, but also sustainable jobs and business opportunities will arise, for
example, in the operation and maintenance required.
This week, throughout South Africa, we are celebrating Sanitation Week and
through this awareness campaign we are raising the profile of sanitation, the
positive impact on the health of our people as a result of sanitation, and need
for hygiene. Yesterday I was in Msinga launching Sanitation Week and I spoke
about the importance of washing hands after going to the toilet, and before
preparing food. Our message with the Department of Health is that you need to
practice good hygiene as it helps to avoid dieses and contributes to a healthy
life.
Finally, we recognise and salute Ukhahlamba District Municipality and
Elundini Local Municipality for their tireless efforts to create a better life
for their community. I would also like to acknowledge the support and
commitment of the Provincial Department of Housing, Local Government and
Traditional Affairs.
Let us all work together to build a South Africa we can be proud of.
I thank you.
Issued by: Department of Water Affairs and Forestry
27 March 2007
