Sihlalo ohloniphekileko, Ngqongqotjhe womNyango wezaManzi neBhoduluko, aboSekela Ngqongqotjhe akhona la namaLunga ahloniphekileko, ngiyanilotjhisa. Ilungelo lokuthola amanzi liqakathekile kwamabala kobana umuntu aphile ipilo enesithunzi. Isithunzi, ukulingana, izwelo nobunye, litshwayo nefundiso yomphakathi otjhejako begodu ukunikela umphakathi amanzi ngokujayelekileko, kunye nemindeni etlhagako ngokukhethekileko, kusisenzo esitjengisa ubuntu nefundiso evezwe ngehla. (Translation of isiNdebele paragraph follows.)
[Mr J J SKOSANA: Hon Chairperson, Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs, Deputy Ministers who are present here and Members of Parliament, I greet you all. The right to access to basic water is important for a person to live a dignified life. Dignity, equality and unity are all signs of communities that care for each other. And the provision of water to communities as expected, especially to poor families, is an act on its own that shows humanity and a well-taught society, as alluded to above.]
The developmental state must ensure that water, as one of South Africa's national resource endowments, is exploited to effectively maximise the development and employment potential it offers. Water must be used on behalf of the people in a manner that promotes the sustainability and development of local communities and realises the economic and social needs of the whole nation.
The ANC's policies have enabled six million households to gain access to clean water since 1994. In 1994, only 62% of households had access to clean drinking water, while that figure stands at 98% today, with the majority of our people being provided with free basic water.
It cannot be disputed that the ANC-led government is biased towards the poor and most vulnerable people who are mostly to be found in the rural areas. The constitutional right to water, which has enabled the ANC-led government to protect and promote the right to water of every individual, is amply demonstrated by the policy and legislative framework, budget allocations and achievements to date on this critical issue.
The water in our dams, reservoirs and rivers is not worth much if the people do not have direct access to it. Therefore, some of the core functions of the Department of Water Affairs are to manage and regulate our water resources to ensure the availability and supply of water at a national level, to facilitate equitable and sustainable distribution and delivery, and to ensure the universal and efficient supply of water services at the local level. Sihlalo, uMongameli wagandelela, ekulumenakhe yesitjhaba yomnyaka lo, kobana umthangalasisekelo wamanzi ufuneka kwamambala ukuze kwehliswe ukusalela emva kokutlhayela kwamanzi. Iimbawo zamanzi zirhagele khulu ngeLimpopo, KwaZulu-Natal nePumalanga Kapa, lapho ukutholakala kwamanzi kuyinto eqakathekileko. Begodu kulapho iphesente yemindeni ethola amanzi ingaphasi kwesilinganiso esibekiweko senarha. (Translation of isiNdebele paragraph follows.)
[Chairperson, the President in his state of the nation address this year emphasised that water infrastructure is seriously needed to decrease the backlog in the supply of water. There are many applications for water provision in Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape, where access to water is vitally important. And it is where the percentage of families that have access to water is below the national target.]
The need to accelerate access to water-related services was highlighted by the President in the state of the nation address, when he indicated that R2,6 billion will be spent on water infrastructure, with priority given to those provinces where a large number of people do not have access to safe drinking water.
This will, in fact, be implemented in terms of the Water Infrastructure Management Programme and the Regional Implementation and Support Programme as the top spending programmes. The Water Infrastructure Management Programme received an allocation of R2,6 billion, which is an increase of 11,2% in real terms, while the Regional Implementation and Support Programme received an allocation of R5,6 billion, or an increase of 22,6% in real terms, for the 2011-12 financial year.
The Department of Water Affairs has also adopted a new outcomes-based approach to service delivery. In line with this approach, the department has identified the following key strategic priority areas, among other things, for the 2011-12 medium-term period, namely promoting sustainable and equitable water resources management; building capacity to deliver quality services; and supporting local government to deliver water services.
In support of local government, in its function to provide water services, capacity is provided through the deployment of engineers to municipalities to assist with infrastructure-related programmes or projects, and in overseeing the training of staff required to ensure the optimal operation of wastewater treatment works and compliance with the Green Drop and Blue Drop assessments.
As far as compliance with the drinking water quality standards in South Africa is concerned, the Blue Drop and Green Drop certification system was launched and implemented to encourage local municipalities to improve their water quality management, while empowering consumers with information regarding the quality of water coming out of their taps. The process of issuing Blue and Green Drop status has proved that, while there are areas in South Africa that require intervention, tap water remains safe to drink in most cities and towns. The majority of municipalities have apparently displayed a positive attitude towards the programme, with 96 Blue Drop and 84 Green Drop status certifications issued nationwide thus far.
The objectives of the Regional Implementation and Support Programme are, among other things, to ensure the availability of water supply for domestic use through the development of infrastructure by providing technical support to municipalities to access potable water through the use of bulk infrastructure schemes by 2013-14; to ensure the provision of institutional support to local government by providing targeted engineering advice and technical support to municipalities where necessary, and assisting municipalities to develop and implement the regulatory performance measurement system.
This programme accelerates community access to water infrastructure by providing support to provincial and local government to deliver water services. This budget allocation increased from R4,4 billion in the 2010-11 financial year, to R5,6 billion in the 2011-12 financial year and accounts for 56,5% of the total Water Affairs budget.
This is a clear indication of the significant reprioritisation of this programme towards accelerating the development of regional bulk infrastructure and water treatment works within the local government sphere and its continued support of National Outcome No 4.
The Department of Water Affairs' spending focus over the medium term will be on infrastructure and bulk distribution in order to provide a reliable and sustainable supply of water to meet demand at local government level. This focus is also expected to create jobs in line with the ANC-led government's New Growth Path strategy.
The De Hoop Dam project will deliver water for domestic and agricultural use in the Greater Sekhukhune, Waterberg and Capricorn District Municipalities, with an estimated three million plus people as beneficiaries in the domestic sector. The Nandoni Project, as the Minister has indicated, will augment the water supply to the Vhembe District Municipality in Limpopo. The total value of the project is R2 billion, of which R532,9 million has been allocated over the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework period.
Sihlalo ohloniphekileko, ukunikelwa kwamanzi kuyincenye ekulu yokulethwa kweendingo emphakathini. Kungebangelo urhulumende we-ANC abona ukunikelwa kwamanzi qobe lilanga njengelungelo lobuntu. Ilungelweli linikela woke umuntu igunya lokuthola amanzi aneleko, aphephileko, amukelekileko natholakala lula. (Translation of isiNdebele paragraph follows.)
[Hon Chairperson, the supply of water to communities is a crucial part of service delivery. That is why the ANC-led government sees the provision of water as a human rights issue every day. This right provides everyone with the power freely to access clean, sufficient, safe and acceptable water that can be easily accessed.]
In conclusion, Chairperson ...
Lokhu sekwenze umNyango wezaManzi neBhoduluko bona usebenze ngaphezu kokulindelekileko kobana kutholakale amanzi enarheni mazombe godu usekele urhulumende wemakhaya nabomasipala kobana isitjhaba sekhethu sithole amanzi. I-ANC isekela i-Vote yesabelo yomNyango wezeeMali lo. Ngiyathokoza. [Iwahlo.] (Translation of isiNdebele paragraph follows.)
[This has led the Department of Water Affairs to go the an extra mile to ensure that there is water all over the country and also to support the provincial and local governments to ensure that our nation gets the water. The ANC supports the Budget Vote for this financial year. Thank you. [Applause.]]