Programme director
Premier Noxolo Kiviet
Honourable mayors and councillors
Traditional leaders present
Community water conservation field workers
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen
Ma ndi qale ngo ku bulela insebenzisano. Ku ya bonakala ukuthi sibambisene, sizisa amaservices ebantwini. Ndi bulela futhi inkokhelo yakho, Premier. Ndi bulela nama-officials, kepha indlela ise inde. Umsebenzi usemninsi.
Mphathi Theko namhlanje siziva sinovuyo namandla ngokuthi sityelele lomzi wase Mthatha xa siqala eli phulo libaluleke kangaka lokuvuselela uluntu nokwandisa ulwazi oluthe vetshe ngoqoqosho lwa manzi e Mnzantsi Afrika. U Mongameli we Lizwe u Mnu Jacob Zuma ulibeke latsola kwintetho yakhe e Palamente ukuba thina singu Mzantsi Afrika sililizwe eliwa sweleyo amanzi ngoko ke amaphulo anjengo National Water Week le singayo apha namhlanje abaluleke ngolona hlobo.
Igalelo labantu siquka abantwana ezikolweni, ootitshala, oosomashishini, abaqhubi kwizithuthi zoluntu, imizi mveliso naye wonke ubani ongumsebenzisi wamanzi likhulu kakhulu ekuzameni ukonga amanzi mihla le. Ide ibe ngakumbi apha kweli phondo lase Mpuma Koloni kuba sinengxaki ephinda phindeneyo ye mbalela. Siyavuya ke xa uluntu luzimisele ukuncedisana no Rhulumente ukuhambisa lo myalezo nokuqinisekisa ukuba wonke ubani wenza ulutho ekongeni amanzi ukuze nezizukulwana ezilandelayo zikwazi ukuxhamla kuwo.
Kwesi sithuba ke ndithanda ukucela umngeni kuni nonke apha ukusukela kwintloko ka Rhulumente ye Phondo, Oo ceba nawo wonke umntu olapha ukuba sibambisane ekufundiseni isizwe ngoqoqosho lwamanzi. Thina singu Rhulumente ophezulu sizimisele ukuncedisana nani ngokuxhasa iphondo noo maspala ekuziseni iinkqubo ezizakuqinisekisa iinkonzo zamanzi acocekileyo eluntwini. Eli phulo ke le National Water Week silibhiyozela phantsi kwe Theme ethi “Together We Can Save More Water” �" xa sibambisene singenza lukhulu ekongeni amanzi. Ndiyakholwa uba niyasikhumbula isingxengxezo sika Rhulumente nombutho olawulayo sokuba makubanjiswane ukuze senze lukhulu ukuzisa ii nkonzo eluntwini.
Ndingayilibala njani indebe yo mhlaba ka 2010. kaloku igalelo la manzi likhulu kule ndebe yomhlaba. Kufuneka siqinisekise ukuba uluntu lonke kwakunye nabakhenkethi bale ndebe bafumana amanzi acocekileyo nasemgangathweni. Siyayazi ukuba kwezinye iindawo zikhona iingxaki okokuqala zokunqongophala kwamanzi kunye nezinamanzi anga cocekanga ncam. Sifuna ukwenza konke okusemandleni ethu sibambisene noluntu ukuba iingxaki ezifana nezo sizilwe ziphele nya.
No Mthatha nawo neziphaluka unazo ii ngxaki zamanzi ekufuneka sizipakanyele sonke sizisombulule ukuze uluntu lube nempilo engcono nende. Xa namhlanje siqala eli phulo lokucoca lo mlambo wase mthatha sibambisene nabahlali siphosa ilitye esivivaneni sedabi lamanzi.
You will recall that I was here not so long ago to launch a greening project in this town. I’m absolutely delighted to be standing here today to fulfil a promise that I made then that I would return to recruit field workers and water conservation ambassadors from amongst the community members to strengthen our campaign for water conservation and greening.
In keeping with that promise, I will later today unveil to you at least 300 people that have received employment and training from my department as part of our continued commitment to improve the water situation in this part of the country. I am also thrilled to report to you that 75 of the 300 people will be absorbed under the Mthatha basin project which will be completed in 2018. Effectively, these 75 community members will have eight years of uninterrupted employment and we are encouraged by that.
There is no doubt that the appointment of so many people, about 225, will make a huge dent to poverty and unemployment for a sustained period of two years and our intention is to build their capacity so that at the end of their contracts, they can find better employment opportunities elsewhere.
My department has set aside an amount of R9.807 million to ensure that this assignment is made practical. I’m glad to announce I will also be conferring certificates of competence to the 75 members of the Working for Water programme who have undergone accredited training in:
* first aid training
* basic theory on chain soar operation
* practical chain soar operation
* HIV and AIDS
The community water conservation field workers will equally receive training in the following areas:
* occupational health and safety
* health and hygiene
* HIV and AIDS
* water conservation and demand management and
* water quality testing
Programme director and colleagues we are all aware of the dire straits and challenges that drought has imposed on this province. In this regard I am pleased to announce new interventions that we are making to respond to this great challenge.
In addition to the R5 million rain water tanks project that we are already implementing in the six district municipalities (the OR Tambo, Alfred Nzo, Amathole, Ukhahlamba, Cacadu and Chris Hani) we have made available an additional R6.35 million in this financial year, of this, R2 million will go to the Nelson Mandela metro, R2.35 million will go to the Cacadu district municipality focusing specifically in the drought problems in the Sundays River Valley, Koukamma and Ndlambe.
In addition to the R2.2 million that we made available to Amathole district for rainwater tanks and ground water exploration, we will make available a further R2 million for Adelaide and Bedford to equip boreholes in these areas and augment the existing programme to fight drought.
This work is very important between the spheres of government and we should strengthen our ability to fulfil our constitutional mandate to cooperate for service delivery. In the same vein, I am also throwing a challenge to our local government partners to ensure that these interventions get implemented with the urgency they deserve for the benefit of our people on the ground. I am also delighted that the national treasury has now issued a new directive that municipalities should report on their water quality and state of waste water treatment works. We need to build on this and ensure that we all take our requisite constitutional responsibility seriously.
During my October visit, I launched the Buyisela (Eco-Towns programme) following the commitment I made at the Municipal Indaba on Environment in July. Buyisela means giving back or restoring, which in essence captures the thrust of cleaning and greening efforts which go beyond just lawns and trees, but also create recreational spaces for our people to enjoy their neighbourhoods while also clearing these open spaces which could have been a breeding ground for criminal activities.
I was particularly pleased this morning when I visited the park and witnessed that one of our pilot initiatives is indeed yielding results. The park is nearing 100 percent completion. Kufuneka siwaxhase amaphulo anje ngala ukuze iindawo esihlala kuzo zihlale zicocekile kwaye zibukeka.
During the same visit in 2009, I witnessed tons and tons of rubbish being removed from the banks of the Mthatha River as a site near one of the taxi ranks. I was disappointed to see that the spot at which we cleared all that garbage had gone back to square one. I wish to take this opportunity to call on the people of Mthatha to support these government opportunities.
Healthy rivers are essential to our well being and the sustainable development of our country. We rely on rivers for our survival and benefit from the goods and services that rivers yield. Today, as we celebrate and launch National Water Week activities, here in the Eastern Cape and reflect upon water issues under the OR Tambo district municipality, it is pleasing to note that some of our interventions aimed at upgrading the bulk water schemes are also bearing fruit.
It is with pleasure to share with you that my department has funded water bulk infrastructure upgrade for Mthatha town for R29 million and the project is due for completion within March 2010. As you are aware that Mthatha town normally faces water shortages during peak seasons but due to the impact of this scheme no similar challenges existed in Dec 2009.
Also, my department has funded the Mthatha bulk sewer infrastructure refurbishment for R25 million to effect repairs and refurbishment of sewers, pump station and waste water treatment works. This project is progressing well due for completion in June 2010.
It is my belief that in this year of service delivery, together with the communities of Mthatha we can do more to save and protect our water resources
I thank you.
Issued by: Department of Water Affairs
15 March 2010
