South Africa is poised to become a member of the prestigious World Water Council. The council is the most influential international structure that sets the trends and debates on water and sanitation issues. It also advises the United Nations on water and sanitation issues.
The Board of Governors meets in Marseille, Paris, next month, November, to vote on the inclusion of additional members from developed and developing countries.
Members of the board consist of a variety of global water experts, scientists and academics. The nomination of the Director-General of the Department of Water and Sanitation, Margaret- Ann Diedricks, who has impressed experts with her impeccable insight on water and sanitation matters, followed this process.
Diedricks was nominated at the suggestion of her African peers who attended a series of meetings with her to discuss water issues. Her potential was also identified by among others, the President of the Board of Governors, Benito Braga, who raised the matter with Minister Nomvula Mokonyane at the 7th World Water Forum in South Korea earlier this year.
Diedricks joined the department in 2014 after serving as the Head of the Department of Community Safety in Gauteng Province, Chief Operations Officer in the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Council, and then later the Director-General of Gauteng Province. She boasts an impressive record of clean audits and decisive leadership, thanks to her sharp administrative skills.
The inclusion of South Africa to the board membership will have a huge impact on the country’s ability to influence water and sanitation issues, at an international level.
Benito was impressed with South Africa’s leadership during meetings at the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and in the African Union. He described the country as “a leader on the continent that was capable of implementing the water goal”.
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