Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation Pamela Tshwete, Water and Sanitation Indaba at Makana Local Municipality
The way forward
Honourable Minister,
Premier of the Province in absentia,
MEC Xasa,
Makana Municipality Councillors and officials,
Executive Mayor of Sara Baartman, Amathole Water Board,
Provincial and national government officials,
Partners in the water sector,
Ladies and gentlemen.
Good afternoon.
Ladies and Gentlemen I have been here before like many others to investigate the challenges facing this municipality.
During my visit here I was told that the water outages started in 2013.
The water outages were as a result of the work that we did not do in the management and administration of this municipality.
We have not provided resources for the management and maintenance of the water and sanitation infrastructure.
We have not developed the existing infrastructure to meet our new social and economic development needs.
We have not engaged others to understand the best possible options and solutions in the provision of municipal service delivery needs.
In this regard we have failed the programme of transformation and change that we should be unfolding in the service of the people.
Honourable Minister I am happy that we are now gathered here today to chart the way forward. The Water and Sanitation Indaba held today under the theme:
"Acknowledging Yesterday, Working Smart Today and Building a Sustainable Tomorrow" will go a long way in the improvement of the water and sanitation situation in this municipality.
On behalf of the Department I want to thank all those who made it possible for us to get together with all our partners to share experiences on innovations and technologies aimed at finding permanent solutions in the provision of water and sanitation.
I want to thank the following and individuals and institutions:
Mr Fikile Xasa COGTA MEC for putting together structures for change, Makana Council for acknowledging the challenges,
Mr Trevor Balzer our trouble shooter for the coordination,
Ms Pamela Yako, the Administrator for managing this process, Amathole Water for the technical services rendered,
Eastern Cape Development Corporation for helping with resources and Mrs Portia Makhanya the Provincial Head of the Department for the work the done so far.
Specific recommendations have been made by all the presenters and in moving forward I want to emphasise the following:
We need to accept, recognise and support the structures that have been established and allow them to do their work. These structures are not here to take over.
We need to create platforms for communication amongst all partners and with the communities in the Makana Municipality. People must know what we are doing.
Councillors must ensure a dynamic relationship with their Constituencies and this should include the organised sector for purposes of reporting and eliciting new knowledge to inform our planning arrangements.
We must also resource the municipal administration with technically skilled and competent administrators. In finance for example we want accountants and not maths teachers.
Develop a Water and Sanitation Development Plan for the municipality and budget for the implementation thereof.
Within this Plan we must develop Municipal Priority Action Plans for immediate targeting and implementation.
This Plan must be reviewed continuously to assess and evaluate its implementation and the level of satisfaction within the community.
Water conservation demand management initiatives must be taken to all communities and sectors as part of awareness creation.
We must also deal with the high water losses through training and development of community technicians.
Replace the dysfunctional infrastructure with new equipment and modern technologies.
Mobilise resources through partnerships with others to improve the capacity of Water Treatment Works and the Water Reservoirs.
These are just but many strategies that we urgently need to put in place to end the inconveniences that the citizens of this area continue to experience.
With us working together we can ensure an uninterrupted provision of water and adequate provision of sanitation.
I thank you
