Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry Lindiwe Hendricks hopes to have a ”lean and mean” department when she leaves office.
”I hope to leave behind a lean and mean and much smaller department that is clearly focused on its role as sector leader for forestry and water, and its role as regulator and supporter of other institutions in these sectors,” she told journalists on Monday after her first 90 days in office.
One of the priorities will be to restructure the department through the establishment of the National Water Resources Infrastructure Agency, the Catchment Management Agency and the transfer of forests and water schemes.
Hendricks also wanted women ”firmly in the driving seat in forestry and water, not only as recipients of water, but as empowered owners of their own enterprises, as leaders and as managers”.
She said she had the end of the ”demeaning” bucket toilet system in established settlements in her sights, along with all schools and clinics having adequate water and sanitation. By the end of next year, use of the system should be something of the past.
”There is a strong political commitment to address the eradication of these buckets.”
On schools, she said inadequate sanitation had an effect on the lives of pupils.
”I shall personally be taking this up with the premiers to ensure that we can work together to solve this matter. The same applies to water and sanitation for clinics.”
Hendricks said it was important for the forestry charter to be finalised so that the poor and those in marginalised areas could benefit from its implementation.
On restructuring water affairs and forestry, she said there will be a shift in focus towards the department becoming strong on monitoring, assessment and information issues.
”To this end the department is involved in a restructuring exercise to shift employees from the department to municipalities, water utilities and other agencies.”
The press conference heard that the department has already allocated 21 engineers to municipalities and is involved in training, such as offering bursaries for students who need skills.
”To this end my department will continue to drive the 2025 capacity building programme for the water sector, working together with all relevant players in the water sector for a coherent, comprehensive and successful programme.”
Hendricks stressed that South Africa was a water-stressed region and that the lack of universal access created hygiene problems.
”We need to be more aware of the challenges that face our country and take collective responsibility for addressing them to create a better life for our people.” — Sapa