Premier Zikalala delivers multi million rand water project to Mkhanyakude communities as part of district development model
THE communities of Sikhemelele, Mtikini and Sicabazini under the uMkhanyakude District Municipality will finally received reprieve from their water woes.
This as the Premier of KwaZulu-Natal, Sihle Zikalala today, 9 October 2020 visited a R29-million rand project which will see hundreds of households in the area receiving clean water from communal standpipes from as early as next week.
The community will be supplied with water through a 1- mega litre tank which will be fed from the Sikhemelele Water Treatment works.
The project, funded by the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Cooperative Governance and Tradional Affairs and implemented by Mhlathuze Water, will supply water to wards 6, 9 and 16 under the uMkhanyakude District and will be gradually rolled out to cover the entire Manguzi area.
Commenting on the District Development Model, Premier Zikalala who is the District Champion for the Mkhanyakude District said: "It is symbolic that as we launch the District Model today, we coincide it with this inspection in loco to this this water infrastructure which will no doubt alleviate the burden of a lack of access to water for the long suffering communities of Mkhanyakude. This is a major coup for the community as water is also a catalyst to socio-economic development."
Announced by President Ramaphosa, the District Development Model (DDM) is part of the seven priorities of the sixth Administration of “Building a Capable, Ethical and Developmental State.”
It is aimed at accelerating service delivery in all the country's 44 districts and 8 metropolitan councils.
"Our government sees the institutionalization of the District Development Model as a game changer in serving our communities better," said Premier Zikalala.
"The DDM is about ending the silo approach to local government and introducing the One Plan and One Budget for each District Municipality."
The Premier said one of the key aims behind the establishment of District Political Hubs is to ensure that there is oversight and monitoring of the One Plan.
"We envisage that the work of the District Political Hub will be regularly reported at the Premier’s Coordinating Forum (PCF)," he said.
The launch was also attended by senior officials from Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation Minister Lindiwe Sisulu who was appointed by Ramaphosa as national Champion of the Umkhanyakude District Municipality.
Premier Zikalala thanked Sisulu for her leadership in addressing the critical challenges of the delivery of water.
"Much of our success in the province in delivering water during this crisis of the Covid-19 pandemic is attributable to the commitment and hands-on approach of Minister Sisulu," he said.
"Today’s launch is opportune. It takes place after the recent launch of the Waterberg District Development Model Hub by Dr Nkosazana Dlamini- Zuma, the national Minister of COGTA, on the 05th of September 2020.
"At the launch of the Hub, Minister Dlamini-Zuma introduced the model of improving the capacity of shared services. She also announced the enhanced technical and expert capacity to strengthen the performance of the local sphere of government in the Waterberg District," said Premier Zikalala.
The Premier also revealed that CoGta has completed the task of profiling all the 44 district municipalities and eight metros in the country.
District political and technical hubs will report to the Premier’s Coordinating Forum clusters which will include a range of public and private sector representatives drawn from all the various forums and representative bodies.
"UMkhanyakude is predominantly is a category C rural municipality with high levels of poverty and unemployment. But it also also has a huge potential for growth and development," said the Premier.
Investment and growth opportunities exist in key catalytic projects for the area like the Mkhuze Regional Airport, Jozini Hydro-electric Scheme, Makhathini Flats Development (Sugarcane, fruit and vegetables production and processing); expanded timber production, fishing industry based on natural resource harvest supplemented by aquaculture, expanded agricultural production of cashew and coconut oils and nuts for export and establishment of high value–up market anchor tourism sites.
"Today must not be another talk shop. A lot is at stake for the people of Umkhanyakude, our province, and our country. Just recently, Stats SA reported that more than 2 million South Africans have joined the ranks of the unemployed.
"Our government remains the only hope of the millions of our people who have not yet tasted the fruits of freedom. Without a capable, developmental local government, we will not succeed in reversing the boundaries of degrading poverty for the people of this district municipality," said Premier Zikalala.
Enquiries:
Lennox Mabaso
Cell: 082 884 2403
Bongani Mthethwa
Cell: 083 253 0748
