Launch of the Colesberg Water Treatment Works by Deputy Minister for Water and Sanitation Ms Pamela Tshwete, Colesberg Sports Complex, Umsobomvu local municipality
Programme Director
Acting Premier, Honourable Mac Jack
Members of the Executive Council
Executive Mayor: Prixley kaSeme District Municipality, Councillor John Lolwana
Executive Mayor: Umsobomvu Municipality, Councillor Nombulelo Hermans
Religious and Community Leaders
Councillors and All Water and Sanitation Stakeholders
Parents and Youth
Good Morning (Molweni bantu baseKosbhererhe) Anditsho?
How are you today? (Ninjani kulentsasa?)
I am Pamela Tshwete, Deputy Minister for Water and Sanitation.
I am happy to join you today to celebrate with you another achievement in the water service delivery.
Our Department is pleased to have reached out to this tiny population of about 29 000 people at a cost of millions of rand.
The current shortfall of R 13 million we will take up with the Minister to complete this beautiful work our Department is doing in this District Municipality.
We have here a municipality where about 98 percent of the total population has access to drinking water. Abantwana bakaFaro abazukuwuqhwabela lomsebenzi ungaka.
We have a municipality where 90 percent of the total population has now access to decent sanitation. Qhwabani uRhulumente uyasebenza.
The almost 3000 people in informal settlements without sanitation will be provided with adequate sanitation as plans are in place to eradicate the buckets system in our communities.
These buckets will be replace by the VIP toilets which are healthy and safer to use by both the elderly and the children.
For me the developments we are seeing are the real reason why we should celebrate. The lives of the people are indeed changing for the better and life is made easy.
Colesberg Water Treatment Works
This is the main programme for today. I must say a lot of planning and money has gone into this project. We are happy that you were able to wait up to this day and now, this facility is given to you and it is yours as a community. The water from this facility will be used by this community for the needs of the society.
In the history of our country, it is a known fact that Colesberg is in the Karoo and it is generally very dry.
Today I also want to tell you that the entire South Africa is a water scarce country. We do not have the type of rains that will always ensure that we have water.
I also want to tell you that our water resource is also threatened by pollution and this has a potential to affect the quality of our water.
The climate change situation has also presented our country with the highest rate of evaporation which is a condition working very much against the little rains we receive annually.
This facility must therefore be well maintained to continue to meet the growing water services demands in this community. The municipality as the Water Services Authority must employ people who will look after this facility.
The community and schools around must encourage youth to consider water and sanitation related career choices so that the required technical skills can be sourced from local.
Institutions such as Bloem Water must be supported in the provision of services in this municipality until this province establishes its own water entities capacitated to service and supply communities with water.
The community Executive Mayors must be encouraged to pay for the services they receive. All councillors must be the first in line to pay for the services rendered.
Communities must protect against vandalism the water and sanitation infrastructure that government is rolling out in order to provide services to all.
The scrap metal kingpins and their community agents must be isolated and exposed for what they are.
We cannot have dysfunctional facilities because some few individuals are bent on disrupting the programme to provide services to the people.
This facility must be used to store our and clean our water. Our management and best practices in this facility will be measured through our performance in the management of blue drop and green drop scores that we will get in our waste water treatment plants and the bulk water treatment works.
This District Executive Mayor must participate prominently in the War on Leaks Programme. In April 2016 the War on Leaks Programme will be recruiting across the country 7000 Water Agents, Plumbers and Artisans. Young people who will be
absorbed in these three local municipalities must be recruited for the 2016 intake.
May this facility bring more hope to this community, improve the health status in society and develop socio-economic situation in this District Municipality and the Northern Cape at large.
I thank you.
