The Premier of the Eastern Cape, Mr Phumulo Masualle and members of your Executive Council,
The Minister of Water and Sanitation, Ms Nomvula Mokonyane,
Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Mr David van Rooyen,
Deputy Minister Pam Tshwete,
Executive Mayor of Chris Hani District Municipality, Cllr Mxolisi Koyo
Mayors of the Local Municipalities of Emalahleni, Sakhisizwe and IntsikaYethu,
Councillors,
Traditional leaders,
Religious leaders,
Umphakathi wonke,

I greet you all in this municipality, which is named after one of the bravest and most dedicated and committed leaders and freedom fighters in our country, Chris Hani.

Tuesday, 28 June marks Chris Hani’s birthday. He would be turning 74 years old had he not been murdered by racists who wanted to stop the people’s march to freedom.

This municipality that is named after Comrade Chris Hani, has a responsibility to work in a manner that befits this fighter for freedom.

Chris Hani Municipality must ensure that its namesake’s dream of a country in which people live in dignity, with access to all basic amenities, and a better life, is achieved.

In this regard, the launch of the Ncora Bulk Water Project today is a step forward by government, towards ensuring that we move ahead to an improved quality of life of our people.      nbsp;                                               

Water is life. Our people need access to water in every corner of the country. We take this seriously as government. That is why we have established a department dedicated to providing water and sanitation to the people. We realised that this function needs to be undertaken by a standalone department.

Indeed our work in this sector is moving ahead and we are making progress. Every week government through the Department of Water and Sanitation launches new projects. We have been opening water infrastructure projects all over the country on a continuous basis, as we improve access to this basic necessity.

Today we are extending water access to all the people.  The two dams in this area, namely the Lubisi and Ncora Dam, were initially single purpose dams meant for irrigation.

This was so notwithstanding the number of villages and households in the area without access to the same resources.

Today we are gathered to celebrate the delivery of water to people who used to just observe the water pass them by to irrigate only the farms downstream.

The advent of the Ncora Bulk Water Project will ensure that the targeted categories of consumers to be supplied with potable water are domestic water users throughout the Intsika YethuLocal Municipality, and commercial and institutional users within the towns of Cala and Indwe.

This intervention will ensure supply to households, while also encouraging the broadening of the current economic activities, and hopefully encouraging new ones.

We know that a lot of work still has to be done in order to complete the bulk services and reticulations that will further enhance the delivery of water to the whole district progressively. But the completion of the Ncora Bulk Water Project is an important milestone for the people of this area.

The scheme comprises a number of components, namely the raw water supply system, the construction of the Ncora Water Treatment Plant, and the bulk treated water supply system.

The building of the Ncora Dam is complete. The Ncora Treatment plant delivering 5 Megalitres per day and major bulk infrastructure is in place. As a result 29 villages are immediately benefitting whilst further extensions are being implemented.

On completion the Ncora scheme will supply water to thirteen thousand eight hundred and two (13 802) households, benefitting seventy five thousand nine hundred and ten (75 910) people in 97 villages.

The collective expenditure on all the contracts within the scheme to date is 229 million rand. The total estimated completion cost of the whole project is 354 million rand.

As government continues to invest in major infrastructure developments, in the Chris Hani District Municipality, the Department of Water and Sanitation’s Regional Bulk Infrastructure Grant programme will over time spend 1.5 billion rand on six projects.

A total of 770 million rand has already been spent to date.  This is not the only funding that has been availed in support of the Chris Hani District Municipality.

During the 2016/2017 financial year another 105 million rand from the Water Services Infrastructure Grant funding programme of the Department of Water and Sanitation will be spent.

This funding will further enhance the work of the district municipality and ensure that the delivery of critical services is attained. Some of the projects funded in this way are at different stages of construction and completion.

I am happy that the Chris Hani District Water and Sanitation Forum is functional. Water and sanitation challenges are raised in the forum for discussion and collective solutions are found.

The implementation and progress of such solutions are monitored by the forum and the community is actively involved.

This is very important as people must be part of governance and must participate in the design of programmes and services.

Compatriots,

Drought is currently a major feature of the climate of South Africa and Southern Africa.

As a result of the country's location at the southern tip of Africa and between cold and warm sea currents, as well as its topography, South Africa has an extremely variable climate over space and time.

We know that currently South Africa is in the clutches of the strongest El Nino on record and food production and water supplies are under threat.

The Eastern Cape Province is one of those that are hardest hit by this phenomenon.

We are also acutely aware that dams like Xonxa within the area are at low level as well, thereby impacting on water availability.

It is thus important that drought interventions must not only continue but must be accelerated.

We must all save water, as households, industries, the agricultural sector and every other sector.

Government has increased the value and utilisation of ground water so that the possible additional potential of this resource be explored and availed.

This water is very widely distributed across the country and its potential availability offers particular opportunity to small towns, villages, mines, and individual users.

In the final analysis, as government we will continue to develop new infrastructure to bring services to the people.

Where there is ageing infrastructure we will refurbish or at times replace such.

As said, we are opening new water infrastructure projects around the country on a continuous basis in order to reduce the backlog and expand access.

Only yesterday, the Minister of Water and Sanitation launched the first water testing laboratory in the Northern Cape which is providing training to our young scientists.

The Minister also launched a water pipeline worth 18 billion rand to provide water to 189 villages, mines and farms in the Northern Cape.

Only recently, responding to the water needs of the Moqhaka Local Municipality in the Free State, the Department of Water and Sanitation launched the Kroonstad Waste Water Treatment Works.

Siyaqhuba, Asimanga singurhulumentewabantu.

All such infrastructure is critical and improves the quality of life.

I would like to appeal to you as the community and people of South Africa as a whole.

We are playing our part as government and are daily opening new infrastructure that improves the lives of people, at all spheres of government. We need the communities to play their part too.  You must value this infrastructure and guard it jealously.

We cannot afford the wanton destruction, theft or vandalism of infrastructure. 

Government builds infrastructure in order to improve the quality of life. The private sector also builds infrastructure to ensure access nearer our homes, for example the shopping malls. If people burn these public amenities, it means that as South Africans we are taking the country backwards.

Members of the community must not allow criminal elements to destroy the march towards a better life.

We are working hard as government to invite investors to the country, and also to encourage domestic industries to invest further in the country. We need these investments as they will help us to create jobs.

The anarchy and destruction of property does not help this campaign of attracting investors at all, and in fact, it is making the efforts of creating jobs much more difficult.

We urge all our communities to unite against criminal elements who destroy property. If people are unhappy about a decision of government or a political party, they should use proper channels to voice these disagreements. We live in a democracy.
 
I urge the people of this district to protect the water infrastructure that we are launching today, and all public amenities. 

They are built to make your lives better. Government does not have an endless supply of funds. We cannot keep moving back to rebuild what has been destroyed deliberately.

Where such activities are seen, the relevant law enforcement agencies must be alerted so that the culprits can be brought to book. Let us be true partners in building a better life.

Compatriots,

Water is life. The delivery of this project today really reflects the seriousness of government in bringing this “life” to all of the people of South Africa.

We congratulate all who have ensured the completion of this project.

I thank you.