Africa-Press – South-Africa. To improve the delivery of services, the Department of Water and Sanitation has filled five senior positions in the ministry in the past year.
Water and Sanitation Minister Senzo Mchunu announced this on Friday when he commemorated a year at the helm in that portfolio.
Mchunu said the provision of water and sanitation to South Africans amounted to the provision of life and dignity.
“The most important thing that needed to be done when I assumed office was to prioritise stability in the department, and that meant filing up vacancies in the top posts of the department. Firstly, we started by filing the director-general position and now have a director-general appointed full-time.
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“This was followed by us appointing a chief financial officer. We then also appointed a deputy director-general for corporate services and a deputy director-general for water services management.
“We also appointed a deputy director-general [for] regulation compliance and enforcement. All these positions were vacant when we came into office,” Mchunu said.
But, one crucial role – that of director-general of infrastructure – is yet to be filled permanently.
“We are getting to a point where we will be able to fill the post on a full-time basis. There is just one obstacle that we have to remove, which is a disciplinary process, but we are getting there,” Mchunu said.
He said the department was “very confident in the executive management”.
“We give them political guidance, support and general direction of the department. From where we sit, things are taking shape,” Mchunu added.
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But, borrowing a famous quote from former president Nelson Mandela, Mchunu added: “No sooner have you climbed to the top of a mountain do you see the other mountains that you still need to overcome.”
The minister said:
His department has come under fire after a broken treatment waterworks plant was said to be the cause of high levels of E.coli that were detected on beaches across eThekwini.
His department is also facing a looming crisis in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro, which is on the brink of Day Zero.
In addition, non-operational treatment plants in the Vaal that led to sewage spills into the river and onto residents’ properties and roads, also concerned Mchunu.
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In Hammanskraal in Pretoria, there have been severe water issues. Some communities have not had running water for months.
Mchunu said his department was working on a multi-pronged strategy to deal with all the problems, including the capitalisation of and broader mandates for waterboards, and an invitation to the private sector to work with the government.
President Cyril Ramaphosa appointed to Mchunu to head the department, which was hived off into a separate ministry in August last year. The water and sanitation portfolio used to be separate from the human settlements one but under the same minister, Lindiwe Sisulu.
Upon his appointment, Mchunu visited all provinces to unlock barriers to water provision, particularly delays in infrastructure projects.
Among other issues, he has prioritised the Giyani Water Project and Nelson Mandela Bay drought relief measures, and has also filled critical posts.
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