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Executive Mayors of OR Tambo District Municipality, Ms Z Langa Capha, and
King Sabata Dalindyebo Municipality, Mr Dowa Mgudlwa,
MEC for Local Government,
Councillors,
Project Manager and Municipal Manager,
Chief Makaula,
Members of the Community.

I would like to thank the Executive Mayor of the OR Tambo District Municipality and the community for inviting me to be present here today and to celebrate with them the success of the Umtata Peri-Urban Water Supply Project. This project has been awarded the 2002 Dubai International Award for Best Practices. It is significant that the presentation of this award is made during this week, which is National Imbizo Week.

The theme for this Imbizo Week is: "Intergovernmental cooperation towards local delivery".

During this week, the government is focussing on promoting and improving co-operation between the three spheres of government and between government and the community. During this week Ministers and MPs from national government, MECs and MPLs from provincial government and councillors from local and district municipalities and government officials are visiting projects across the country.

The purpose is to allow communities to interact directly with government representatives. Our people are therefore encouraged to discuss developmental projects and any concerns they are encountering with these government representatives. The Premier of the Eastern Cape, the Honourable Reverend Stofile, has personally been involved in the Imbizo Week programme and has been travelling throughout the province listening to people.

This project has been awarded a best practices award. What does this mean? To qualify for this award, the best practices competition has set criteria for Municipal projects. This project has met these criteria.

This project is therefore outstanding. A true example of an effort which will contribute to improving the lives of our people who have been denied access to basic services for so many years. I understand that when this project is completed it will provide water to 80 530 people in 43 villages who have never had access to piped water.

This project has succeeded because the community, government and other stakeholders (such as Mvula Trust) have all worked together to make it a success.

I understand that the community has driven this project from its initial stages and that meetings have always been well attended by representatives from the villages. Indeed, the strength of the management committee lies in the fact that so many dedicated members of this community serve on it. This is how things should be done if we want to be successful.

This is what we envisaged in the RDP policy framework - development that is people driven and people-centred. I am also told that steering committee members are receiving training in committee skills, administration, leadership, basic project management as well as operation and maintenance training. Already 1 100 jobs on a task basis have been created for local people through this project.

I believe that the micro contractors are also receiving training from the main contractor. Already contracts to the value of R2 593 115 have been awarded to four micro contractors and this amount will increase as the project unfolds.

I believe that the project's workforce consists of 40% women, 40% youth and 2% of all jobs have been allocated to people with disabilities. The Project Managers have also looked beyond the current phase by training, particularly women and young unemployed people to assist with the long-term operation and maintenance of pipes and machinery. This training also means that they will have skills that can provide employment beyond this project, but more importantly, it creates a sustainable project.

The project has also already yielded other tangible results in addition to empowerment and employment opportunities. The basic level of clean, pure and healthy drinking water is already being supplied to 23 villages in the peri-urban communities. The provision of clean water improves the general standard of living, especially the health of children. Women who have for so many years been burdened with fetching water from the river and carrying heavy buckets of water on their heads have now more free time to engage in other economic activities such as income generating projects. The success of this project is derived partly from the fact that there is a high degree of community ownership and involvement, and partly because there is strong intergovernmental cooperation. The OR Tambo District Municipality and the King Sabata Dalindyebo Municipality are part of the local sphere. The Office of the Premier represents the Eastern Cape Province. National government is represented by the Departments of Provincial and Local Government, Water Affairs and Forestry as well as Environmental Affairs and Forestry.

We are, therefore, not only here to celebrate the success of this project but also the commitment by all three spheres of government to work with each other to ensure that we are on the right track to creating a better life for all our people. This project will make a contribution of creating jobs for our people and alleviating poverty.

In fact, the strong involvement of ordinary citizens in the work output of this municipality should be copied throughout our country. Only through working with each other and with our communities will local authorities be able to turn our vision of a better life for all into reality.

We are also witnessing more than just the supply of clean water to over 80 thousand local residents. We are seeing government's policy of developmental local government in action.

The provision of water as a basic service has become a reality for more than 25 million South Africans. It is less than 6 months since our government started implementing the free basic water policy.

Already 160 local authorities are providing free basic water to residents. Some local authorities are still planning for implementation of the free basic water policy, some are building capacity to manage water services, others were not able to budget for the free basic water supply during this financial year, and some municipalities do not have the necessary infrastructure yet.

To address these needs, municipalities are required by law to prepare Integrated Development Plans which must all the needs of the community. These IDPs will be prioritised for funding by national and provincial government.

All 284 municipalities in SA are currently busy finalising their Integrated Development Plans. The IDPs create opportunities for communities, local, provincial and national government to actively participate at the level of municipal planning, resource allocation, financial management and decision-making.

This is where the Department for Provincial & Local Government can assist. For example, the Consolidated Municipal Infrastructure Programme has provided 86% of the budget for the Umtata Peri-Urban Water Supply Project. CMIP is one of the flagship programmes of our Department. And this project is one of the most outstanding of all CMIP projects in the whole of South Africa.

Our Department together with other government departments is working very hard to ensure that more municipalities benefit from such programmes.

We have also decided that we should emphasise those projects where government has been very successful in drawing on the resources of provinces and the national government to support development in municipalities. We decided this, because we have learnt that where the three spheres of government are working well together, the community, the NGOs and CBOs, parastatals, the private sector and donors also feel encouraged to support a project.

We encourage all municipalities to apply for CMIP funding and invite them to participate in future competitions for the Dubai International Award for Best Practices.

It is my pleasure to announce that the OR Tambo District Municipality has grabbed this opportunity with both hands and submitted the Umtata Peri-Urban Water Supply Project.

It is also my pleasure to announce that you have won the provincial award and to hand over to you this award to the value of one million rands, over and above the original project allocations from the CMIP fund.

Your project will automatically be entered into the national competition which carries prize money to the value of R 5 million.

Congratulations! You have set a very high standard for all municipalities. We are proud of you and will support you all the way.

I thank you.

Issued by: Ministry for Provincial and Local Government, 8 November 2001