Source: Department of Water and Sanitation, Republic of South Africa |

South Africa: Minister Nkwinti and Member of the Executive Council Moiloa met and signed agreement with the Community Steering Committee of the Sedibeng Water Treatment Plant to resolve challenges experienced in the project

The project has experienced delays mostly due to community protesting demanding employment and business opportunities in it as well as budget shortfall that delayed the completion of module six of the project

PRETORIA, South Africa, August 1, 2018/APO Group/ --

The Gauteng MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs and Human Settlements Dikgang Uhuru Moiloa and Minister for Water and Sanitation Gugile Nkwinti met and signed an agreement with the community Steering Committee in Sedibeng/Vaal to pave the way forward for the Sedibeng Water Treatment Plant project. The signed agreement contains principles of commitment for resumption of work in Sedibeng Water treatment Plant.

The project has experienced delays mostly due to community protesting demanding employment and business opportunities in it as well as budget shortfall that delayed the completion of module six of the project.

The meeting was also attended by the MMC for Human Settlements in Sedibeng Municipality Madisebo Khomoeasera, the Rand Water management and senior government officials from the national and Gauteng Provincial Government departments.

The meeting resolved that the community through its Steering Committee will be consulted on the possibility of jobs and other economic opportunities for residents of Emfuleni and surrounding areas. This is the second meeting in as many weeks, following the intervention of Minister Nkwinti and MEC Moiloa who have been seized with finding a lasting solution to complete the project. In a new plan unveiled today by both departments Minister Nkwinti’s Department also made available a budget for the conclusion of module six, that will end in Feb/March next year and this will allow for module seven to kick in. This is contingent on the absence of work stoppage from this point onward. It was agreed that landscaping should form part of module 6 of the project.

The Department of Water and Sanitation is also processing payments in favour of service providers who are still owed money for work undertaken thus far. The meeting also agreed that detailed design work for the next module by Rand Water will resume so that when the budget is available it should be all systems go as planning was undertaken in the past two years.

The Steering Committee representatives accepted and welcomed the progress but expressed concern on the delaying the start of module seven.

MEC Moiloa said that the government and its entities have taken note of the Steering Committee’s request that job seekers be trained for module seven and their concern over the preference of “outsiders” over local people will be looked into. The Minister advised that the Steering Committee should consider a Cooperative model for the community.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Department of Water and Sanitation, Republic of South Africa.