Local Government Hard at Work

JUNE 2016 GovCommsA newsletter for government and public sector communicators

Local government

Human settlements changing lives hard at work Supplied by: Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs

he past 15 years of democratic local government has resulted in the provi- Tsion of a variety of services to South African citizens, says Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) Minister Des Van Rooyen. Delivering the department’s Budget Vote recently, the Minister noted the progress made since the local government elections on 5 De- cember 2000. Increasing access to These include: water and sanitation • The share of households accessing elec- services tricity went up from 69.7 percent in 2001 to 86 percent in 2014. About 5.8 million households have received electricity, with over two million indigent households benefitting from the provision of electricity through indigent support systems. • The provision of water infrastructure rose from 61.3 percent to 90 percent. • The provision of free basic water services rose from over seven million citizens in 2007 to over 11 million in 2013. • Access to basic sanitation services increased from over 62 percent in 2002 to over 79 percent in 2014. Oceans hold the key The Minister added that water and sanitation Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Des Van Rooyen. to greater economic percentages have exceeded the targets set by growth the Millennium Development Goals. “What this says is that local government has citizens for the better and a good story of excel- been successful in changing the lives of our lent government performance,” he said. Local government

“B2B is here to create long-term, meaningful change in our communities,” said the Minister. “We also intend institutionalising Back to Basics community complaints management Minister Van Rooyen said an assessment of systems and processes in municipalities,” he the first phase of the Back to Basics Programme said. (B2B) confirmed that tackling development chal- Minister Van Rooyen said the efforts to improve pub- lenges created by many years of colonisation and apart- lic participation through the B2B programme had not gone heid systems was a mammoth assignment requiring long-term unnoticed as the B2B programme was selected as an example and sustainable solutions. of the Open Government Partnership commitment of main- “B2B is here to create long-term, meaningful change in our streaming citizen participation in the public sector. communities,” said the Minister. He said the goal was working towards achieving an open gov- He added that the second phase involved the execution of ernment that is more responsive, accountable and transparent. the 10-Point Plan that government believes will vastly improve the state of local government. One of the key elements of the Traditional affairs 10-Point Plan is fostering more positive community experiences. Minister Van Rooyen said while South Africa is a constitutional “To this end, we are developing ward-based service delivery democracy, it also recognises the value that traditional leaders dashboards and implementing Ward Improvement Plans that bring to the smooth functioning of this democracy. ensure basic services, such as the cutting of grass, ensuring “Over the past year, we’ve worked with traditional authorities working streetlights and the timeous fixing of water leaks,” he on a number of development-related issues,” he added. said. Preparations for the upcoming initiation season have begun To strengthen B2B’s goal of public participation, government in earnest to ensure the safety of young men, he added. has developed a compliance framework to inform the establish- The Minister said the Traditional and KhoiSan Leadership Bill ment and operations of ward committees, which will come into was introduced in Parliament in September 2015. effect after local government elections in August. “The Bill is intended to affirm and recognise our brothers and The Minister congratulated the Blouberg Municipality in sisters, the descendants of the KhoiSan leaders, structures and Limpopo and Overstrand Municipality in the Western Cape for communities. good practices in the implementation of the ward participatory “We are going to expend all effort in pursuit of providing model to strengthen community participation at local level. support to the traditional councils, individually and collective- Future plans include increasing public participation platforms ly, to improve the level of functionality and strengthen their so that councillors engage more regularly with their constituen- performance. cies and providing constant feedback on progress made. “Through these efforts we seek to position traditional leader-

2 Local government

ship as a key player in local governance, whilst contributing to Dealing with drought the B2B programme,” he said. Minister Van Rooyen noted that the past year has seen the continuation of an endemic drought that has not only hurt the economy, Municipal Infrastructure Support but also impacted on the lives of farmers and citizens who have Agent had to bear the cost of rising food prices and water shortages. In the past year the Municipal Infrastructure Support Agent He said an Inter-Ministerial Committee on Drought has (MISA) supported 75 municipalities in the development of new ensured that government delivers a coordinated response to the infrastructure as well as the refurbishment of existing assets to drought. The National Disaster Management Centre has been at improve the provision of services. MISA was also involved in the centre of efforts to mitigate the effects of the drought. the training of learners and technical officials in municipalities. Currently, affected provinces are receiving drought relief in the Minister Van Rooyen said that as a result of technical support form of feeds for livestock, livestock water, and water for human from MISA, the Elundini Municipality completed a feasibility consumption. study that enabled it to secure funding through the Municipal Boreholes have been drilled for both human and animal Infrastructure Grant (MIG) and donor funding from the Neth- consumption. In those areas where boreholes are not feasible due erlands, amounting to R296 million, for new infrastructure de- to topography and lack of groundwater, amongst other things, velopment. water tankering services have been provided. Once completed, this project will ultimately benefit 12 176 The National Joint Drought Coordination Committee has also households in the area. The project also has the potential to established a task team to coordinate civil society involvement. create at least 2 000 temporary jobs and 107 permanent jobs. “I wish to thank civil society for the vital role they are playing in In the coming year, MISA will implement the Regional Man- assisting water-stressed communities, through provision of water agement Support Contracts to improve infrastructure delivery, and drilling of boreholes, complementing government’s efforts to management and operations, he added. address the situation,” said the Minister. This project will assist municipalities put in place improved man- He noted that Operation Hydrate had mobilised various agement systems and processes for infrastructure delivery and sectors of society from learners at school to big business. Since management of services provision. January, the initiative distributed over 12 million litres of drinking water to five provinces. “Their efforts have brought home the severity of the drought to those more fortunate and shown that tough times bring out the best in South Africans. “When we say local government is in your hands, this is what we mean, this is what we expect, this is what we are striving for, placing local government in the hands of our citizens,” the Minister said.

Municipal debt Minister Van Rooyen also highlighted the issue of municipal debt and payments to national electricity provider Eskom, which initiated a debt collection process that could lead to municipal disconnections on bulk electricity supply in various provinces. “This necessitated an intervention from the Ministers of CoGTA, Finance and Public Enterprises. We facilitated the development of new or revised agreements between the affected municipalities and Eskom, taking into consideration the financial circumstances of individual municipalities and other key creditors. “Recovery plans were also proposed by identifying opportunities that will assist the municipalities to improve revenue collection and reduce non-revenue electricity,” he said.

Community Work Programme During his Budget Vote address, CoGTA Deputy Minister Andries Nel said that the Community Work Programme (CWP) was an important intervention to deal with poverty, unemployment and inequality. “The International Labour Organisation (ILO) recognises it as one of the best in the world,” he pointed out. The CWP will receive close to R3.2 billion for the 2016/17

3 4 MAY 2016 BUDGET VOTE 2016

HE world is urbanising very rapidly, said Andries Nel, Deputy Minister of Co-operative Governance & Traditional Affairs, in his Budget Vote address in the National Assembly on May 3. The Deputy Minster said recent statistics from the United Nations (UN) reflects Urbanisation is a Tthe challenges facing the planet. According to the UN, he said 54% of the world’s population lives in urban areas. By 2050 this will increase to 66%. In 1950 only three in ten people lived in uLorbacaln ar egaovs. ernment Continuing population growth and urbanisation will add two- and-a-half billion people to the world’s urban population by 2050. key challenge for Ninety percent of this increase will be in Asia and Africa. In fact, according to the UN, Africa is expected to be the fastest urbanizing region between 2020 to 2050. By 2050 most of the world’s urban population will be concentrated in Asia (with fifty-two percent) and Africa (with twenty-one percent). Sixty-three percent of South Africans already live in urban SA and the Continent areas. This will rise to seventy-one percent by 2030. By 2050 eight in ten South Africans will live in urban areas. spaces, rivers and canals. financial year with 95 percent going towards implementation “We need to guide the growth and management of urban 1051 illegal dumping sites were cleared. 2076 community andarea fives in wpercentays tha t onun ladministration.eash the poten tial of our cities and towns gardens were maintained. 81 000 square metres of cemeteries aOfnd this,reve r70se percent the terri borle R2.1lega cbilliony of a pwillarth goeid into spa ttheial i npocketsjustice. Landast were cleaned. 10 800 children benefitted at crèches. 2058 desks onye ather w etables said wofe participants.would finalize an Integrated Urban Development were refurbished. 34 000 learners benefitted from scholar patrols. FDeputyramewo Ministerrk (IUDF Nel) to saiddo s othat. W ethe ha CWPve do participantsne so,” he s acontributeid. “We are working with other departments, civil society and by doingCabin eusefult app rworkoved identifiedthe IUDF la sbyt wtheee kcommunity., very appro priately, on business to increase the reach and impact of CWP. CWP aims to A“Forpril 2 example,6 – a day bine fGautengore Freed CWPom D participantsay. “The IUD Fcleaned marks aalmost New provide participants with skills, both to do useful work in 300Dea 000l for squareSouth A metresfrican c ofitie publics and tspaces,owns. I trivers will st eander u canals,rban g r1051owth communities but also to enhance their employability and ability to illegaltowar ddumpings a susta sites,inable and mo maintaineddel of comp 2076act, c communityonnected an gardens.d start their own ventures,” he said. Inco addition,ordinated 81 to 000wns square and ci tmetresies,” he of sa cemeteriesid. were cleaned, 10 Deputy Minister gave examples of how the programme was 800N childrenel adde benefittedd that the IU Dat Fcrèches, provide s2 a058 ro adesksdma pwere to im refurbishedplement working. In Eastern Cape, Vumile Msoki joined the CWP in 2012. andthe N34D P000’s v learnersision for sbenefittedpatial trans ffromorma scholartion – c repatrols.ating l ivable, While on the programme he learnt welding. Now he is inHeclu ssaidive a CoGTAnd resi liwasent t oworkingwns and withcities other while rdepartments,eversing the civil responsible for all welding work done at the Amahlathi CWP site. societyaparthe andid sp businessatial lega ctoy. increase the reach and impact of the On weekends he takes up private welding jobs in programme.“The IUD F provides key principles and policy levers for Keiskammahoek where he leads a team of welders. creating better urban spaces. We will strengthen rural-urban In KwaZulu-Natal at Ukhahlamba, a participant used his “CWP aims to provide participants with skills, both to do useful linkages, promote urban resilience, create safe urban spaces stipend to take a course in security services and is now workand e inns communitiesure that the ne andeds otof tenhancehe most v theirulner aemployabilityble groups ar eand registering his own security company. abilityaddre stose startd,” h etheir said own. ventures,” the Deputy Minister added. “Last year we said we would expand the CWP. We have done ByT thehe Fendram ofew theork 2015/16 recogniz financiales that th eyear, cou n223try h315as dparticipantsifferent so. By the end of the 2015/16 financial year, 223 315 participants hadtype benefitteds of cities an fromd tow thens w programme.ith different r oles and requirements. To had benefitted from the programme. th“Weis en cand, t hannouncee IUDF m uthatst b ean im additionalplemente d21 in 423 loca participantslly relevant w andays “We can announce that an additional 21 423 participants and theirthat afamilieslso pro mwillot ebenefit sustain fromable rtheura lprogramme developme nbyt a31nd sMarchtren g2017.then their families will benefit from the programme by 31 March 2017. Inru rGauteng,al-urban lLimpopoinkages. and Mpumalanga all municipalities had a In Gauteng, Limpopo and Mpumalanga all municipalities had a CWPT hsitee F byra mtheew endork of p rtheopo financialses that jyearobs ,2015/16. housin g and CWP site by the end of the financial year 2015/16. trAllan smunicipalitiesport should b ine uKwaZulu-Natal,sed to promot eFree urb State,an re sNorthtructu West,ring ‘We can also announce that all the municipalities in KwaZulu- Easternas outl iCapened i nand the Northern NDP. Cape will have at least one CWP Natal, Free State, North West, Eastern Cape and Northern Cape site established this year. In the Western Cape eight additional Deputy Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs will have at least one CWP site established this year. In the municipalitiesThe objecti vwille is have to tra sitesnsfo rbym utherba endn sp aofc ethes b yfinancial: year. Andries Nel. Western Cape eight additional municipalities will have sites by the ● “A totalRe dofu c36in gadditional travel cos tsmunicipalities and distances ;will have CWP sites end of the financial year. MAY 2016 ● 2016 BPUreventing fDurther devGelopment Eof housinTg in VOTE “Atotal of 36 additional municipalities will have CWP sites established by March 2017, bringing the total number of municipalities implementing the CWP to 234,” he said. 3 marginal places; established by March 2017, bringing the total number of ● Increasing urban densities to reduce sprawl; Andries Nel, Deputy Minister of Co-operative Governance municipalities implementing the CWP to 234,” he said. ● Improving public transport and the coordination U& rTrbaanisationditional Affairs. Theft and damage to infrastructure, especially metal and between transport modes; and, The Deputy Minister noted that the world was urbanising copper cable theft, devastate our economy and the lives of our ● Shifting jobs and investment towards dense rapidlyimporta andnt in accordingtervention toto dtheea lUnited with po Nationsverty, un (UN),emp l54oy mpercentent and of citizens. Municipalities are particularly hard hit. Currently affected peripheral townships. theine qworld’suality. “ Tpopulationhe Internat ilivesonal inLa urbanbour O areas.rganiz Byatio 2050n (IL Othis) figure Last year, the Deputy Minister said Government wanted to isre expectedcognizes itot a sincrease one of t htoe b66e spercent.t in the w Inor l1950d. We only welc threeome tinhe 10 introduce tougher legislation. “We have done so. The Criminpalrovinces are receiving Achieving this vision of spatial transformation, according to peopleCWP p alivedrticip inan urbants in th areas.e galle ry. Matters Amendment Act now provides for tougher bail conditions, Nel, would require all spheres of government, the private sector, According“We are p torou thed of UN,you . AfricaCWP wisi llexpected receive cl otose beto Rthe3.2 fastestbillion jail terms of up to 30 years and fines of up to R1 million on drought relief in the form labour and civil society, and most importantly the citizens of our urbanisingfor the 201 6region/17 fin abetweenncial yea r2020. Nin etoty -2050.five p er cent of this goes conviction for the new offence of tampering, interference ando thfe feeds for livestock, municipalities. toSixty-threewards imp lpercentementa tofio nSouth. Only Africans five per alreadycent is s livepen int o urbann areas. destruction of essential infrastructure which may prejudice the “We repeat the point we made last year: Our success or Thisadm willinis triseratio ton b 71y t hpercente depar tbyme 2030.nt,” h eBy sa 2050id. eight in 10 South livelihood, well-being, daily operations/or economic activity olf ithveestock water, and water failure in effecting spatial transformation and implementing AfricansOut o willf th islive, 70 in% urban or R2 .areas.1 billio n will go into the pockets and on public. for human consumption. integrated urban development will have a decisive influence on th“Wee ta bneedles o f topa guiderticipan thets. Tgrowthhis is R 4and46 mmanagementillion more tha ofn laurbanst “We can report that soon after the Act became law five whether we become a nation united in our diversity or people areasyear. Hine ways said CthatWP unleashparticip athents potential contribute of b oury do citiesing us andeful townswork members of a cable theft syndicate received heavy sentences of living together separately,” he said. andiden reversetified by the the terrible commu legacynity. Fo ofr e apartheidxample, in spatial Gaute injustice.ng CWP Last between 15 and 48 years. Collectively they were sentenced to Nel said that the Community Work Programme (CWP) is an participants cleaned almost 300 000 square metres of public 140 years,” he said. year we said we would finalise an Integrated Urban Develop- ment Framework (IUDF) to do so. We have done so,” he said. Cabinet recently approved the IUDF that provides a roadmap IN keeping with the times, traditional leaders have embraced the mantle of development, TRADItoT implementIONA theL NDP’s LE visionAD forE spatialRS transformation HAVE – A KEY said Des Van Rooyen, Minister of Co-operative creating liveable, inclusive and resilient towns and cities while Governance and Traditional Affairs. ROLE TreversingO P theL apartheidAY I spatialN S legacy,ER saidV DeputyICE Minister DE Nel.L IVERY The Minister said that there are a multitude “The IUDF provides key principles and policy levers for creating of success stories in different provinces that tell better urban spaces. We will strengthen rural-urban linkages, of development championed by traditional as a key player inpromote local gov urbanernanc resilience,e, whilst create safefore urbanfront o spacesf imple manden tensureing the Back to Basics leaders to improve the lives of their contributing to thethat Bac thek to needsBasics of p rtheogr amostmme vulnerable,” progr agroupsmme.S areAL Gaddressed,”A chief ex ecutive officer communities.“Local Government needs to he said. he added. Xolile George was praised for achieving a ensure the meaningful participation of Present at the BTheudg eframeworkt Vote add rproposesess were, that jobs,fourt hhousing succes sandive ctransportlean audi t. traditional leadership within council and among other leadshoulders, the be C husedairpe tors opromoten of the urban restructuringThe depart mase outlinednt is wor kinin g with SALGA to municipal affairs in general. National House othef Tra NDP.dition al Leaders, Kgosi ensure a smooth transition after local As shown by ILembe District Municipality, Maubane, as well as Traditional and Religious government elections by preparing a Van Rooyen said this could be done, through, leaders. comprehensive councillor training programme among other initiatives, the allocation of seats Mayor Thabo Manyoni, the Chairperson, and updating the Councillor Induction Manual to identified recognized traditional leaders in and leadership of the South Africa Local to focus on the Back to Basics programme. Com4mittees of Council.“We want to also thank Government Association (SALGA) which those traditional leaders who continue to continues to discharge its constitutional Obed Bapela is the Deputy Minister release land for development.Through these mandate of representing organized local of Cooperative Governance efforts we seek to position traditional leadership government, was praised for being at the and Traditional Affairs. Vital role assisting water-stressed communities N the past year South Africa has been hit by the worst drought in three decades. Des Van Rooyen, the Minister BUDGET IN FIGURES: of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, said The 2016 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) c) Community Work Programme: R3, 191 billion (4.37%). that the past year has seen the continuation of an allocations to the Department amount to R72, 994 billion in endemic drought that has not only hurt the economy, but 2016/17, R78, 557 billion in 2017/18 and R84, 258 billion in d) Municipal Infrastructure Support Agency (MISA) R349.9 million Iimpacted on the lives of farmers and citizens who have had to 2018/19. (0.48%). bear the cost of rising food prices and water shortages. He said an Inter-Ministerial Committee on Drought has a) Transfers and subsidies: R68, 809 billion (94.27%). e) Department of Traditional Affairs: R129.7million (0.18%). ensured that government delivers a coordinated response to the drought. The National Disaster Management Centre b) Operational costs (Including Compensation of employees, The other key transfer and special allocations for the 2016/17 (NDMC) has been at the centre of efforts to mitigate the effects goods and services and payment of capital assets): R513, 5 financial year see tabulation below: of the drought. million (0.70%). The NDMC has been working tirelessly with all role-players to respond to the widespread drought in a coordinated and integrated manner. Currently affected provinces are receiving drought relief in the form of feeds for livestock, livestock water, TRANSFER & SPECIAL ALLOCATIONS 2016/17 and water for human consumption. Municipal Infrastructure Grant ...... R14 914 028 Boreholes have been drilled for both human and animal consumption. In those areas, where boreholes are not feasible Municipal Systems Improvement Grant ...... R104 349 due to topography and lack of groundwater, amongst other Municipal Disaster Relief Grant ...... R269 922 things, water tankering services have been provided. Provincial Disaster Relief Grant ...... R111 545 The National Joint Drought Coordination Committee has Municipal Disaster Recovery Grant ...... R140 000 also established a task team to coordinate civil society Municipal Demarcation Transition Grant ...... R297 422 involvement. I wish to thank civil society for the vital role they are playing in assisting water-stressed communities, through Local Government Equitable Share ...... R52 568 706 provision of water and drilling of boreholes, complementing Non-returning Local Government Councillors ...... R309 276 Government’s efforts to address the situation. South African Local Government Association ...... R29 500 Speaking of civil society, he said that Operation Hydrate has Municipal Demarcation Board ...... R58 220 mobilised various sectors of society from learners at school to South African Cities Network ...... R6 619 big business. Since January they have distributed over 12 million litres of drinking water to five provinces. TOTAL ...... R68 809 587 “Their efforts have brought home the severity of the drought to those more fortunate and shown that tough times bring out the best in South Africans. are aware, late last year Eskom initiated a debt collection financial circumstances of individual municipalities and other “When we say local government is in your hands, this is process that would lead to municipal disconnections on bulk key creditors. what we mean, this is what we expect, this is what we are electricity supply in various provinces. “Recovery plans were also proposed by identifying striving for, placing local government in the hands of our “This necessitated an intervention from the Ministers of opportunities that will assist the municipalities to improve citizens,” the Minister said. CoGTA, Finance and Public Enterprises. We facilitated the revenue collection and reduce non-revenue electricity. Our Meanwhile, he also spoke about improving municipal debt development of new or revised agreements between the intervention has placed local government in the hands of the and payments to national electricity provider Eskom. “As you affected municipalities and Eskom, taking into consideration the municipalities,” he said.

IT is not too late to register to vote for the fair election, we have filed our affidavit and local government elections, says Minister. await the decision of the Constitutional In three months, on August 3, 2016, South IT IS NOT TOO LATE TO REGISTER Court to be delivered on May 9,” he said. Africans go to the polls in the country’s “I urge all political parties to abide by the fourth fully democratic local government collaborating with various stakeholders to “We have been reluctant to proclaim the Charter of Election Ethics, which most elections. ensure the smooth running of the elections. election date as we are awaiting an parties have signed. To ensure that preparations are on He also said citizens who have not important Constitutional Court decision on “The Charter aims to promote social track, Des Van Rooyen, the Minister for registered during the two weekends, could the clarification of the challenge relating to cohesion and nation building, raise Cooperative Governance and Traditional still register at the offices of the citizens and households, without formal awareness on the importance of voting, Affairs, told the National Assembly that an Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) addresses. and promote free and fair elections based Inter-Ministerial Committee has been countrywide. “Being committed to ensuring a free and on tolerance,” he said. hUMAN SETTLEMENTS

*Writer: Ndivhuwo Mabaya

Human settlements changing lives

he Department of Human Settlements, in houtbosch in Tshwane, Zanemvula in Nelson Mandela Bay partnership with private sector and communities, is Metro and Cornubia in eThekwini. These housing projects Tgearing for the roll out of catalytic projects across were aimed at testing the efficacy and appropriateness all nine provinces. of the BNG policy. At the recent UN Habitat III Thematic These projects will provide massive settlements with Meeting on Informal Settlements hosted in South Africa, amenities and most importantly, will be located close to delegates confirmed that the country’s BNG policy was the areas of economic activity. best way to respond to urbanisation, to plan better and They will consist of more than 10 000 units each, with also develop affordable rental and social houses for young tenure options covering government fully-subsidised people and low income earners. Breaking New Ground houses (BNG), bond houses, rental While providing an opportunity to address injustices of accommodation and serviced sites. apartheid spatial planning, starting with the disinherited Scores of people are expected to benefit from the communities of District 6, and also benefiting dislocated projects as they will deliver on a big scale and in so do- backyarders and informal settlers along the highway, ing help address the country’s hosuing backlog, which is the N2 Gateway also educated South Africans about the currently estimated at 1.8 million. successes and challenges in the process of creating sustainable communities. Priority projects The project has so far delivered more than 13 000 units, Aspects of the projects are based on the model of priority providing shelter to more than 70 000 people, while R2 projects that have already been launched, such as N2 Gate- billion has already been spent on infrastructure and top way in Cape Town, Cosmo City in Johannesburg, Olieven- structure.

5 hUMAN SETTLEMENTS

The project is divided into the following areas:

• New Rest: Situated in Gugulethu township, 668 fully subsidised houses have been built in New Rest to date. The informal settlement upgrading process is still ongoing and includes the provision of roads, water and sewerage. • Delft 7-9 and Delft Symphony: Delft 7-9 was completed in 2013 with almost 4 500 houses handed over to beneficiaries, while Delft Symphony is One of the most important aspects still under construction. To date, over 4 200 fully subsidised and 350 bonded houses have been of the N2 Gateway housing project completed. has been its ability to restore dignity • Boystown: Also situated in Gugulethu, Boystown to its beneficiaries by providing is receiving housing and facilities upgrades, with 503 houses handed over to date. families with housing opportunities • Joe Slovo: The Joe Slovo housing development is they never had before. This also located in Langa township and the development comes with access to better services of the rental, bonded and fully subsidised show village is now complete. The project is ongoing and amenities within walking and 1044 of 2 639 double-storey units have been distance of homes. The latter speaks delivered so far. directly to human settlements.

Restoring dignity One of the most important aspects of the N2 Gateway housing but over the course of the project one of the lessons learnt is project has been its ability to restore dignity to its beneficiaries that community interaction is crucial to deal with misunder- by providing families with housing opportunities they never standings during the allocation of houses. had before. This also comes with access to better services and This is done by holding regular community meetings and amenities within walking distance of homes. The latter speaks adhering to the department’s policy of prioritising the directly to human settlements. vulnerable groups such as the elderly, child-headed house- Beneficiary, Rachel Manyi, speaking during the handover of holds, people living with disabilities and military veterans, the project by President Zuma last year said, there was no bet- while the rest are based on the needs assessments. This ter feeling than sleeping under a “compact, real roof”. approach ensures that the indigents are prioritised. “My dream came true when I stepped into my home. I like the N2 Gateway is a mixture of BNG houses and flats and this sound of that – my home. I was born in a shack and I thought has enabled the project to accommodate old people and the one day I would die in one, but my President made sure that young working class in the City of Cape Town. The model made didn’t happen,” she said. it possible for the project to build more than 13 000 houses As much as the project provided many with jobs, it has also with bulk infrastructure using only 283 hectares of land. This is tackled youth unemployment through the Youth Brigades very important as the land adjacent to the City would have not Programme. With the creation of Youth Brigades the aim is to accommodated the present 70 000 people living there if only provide necessary construction skills like brick-laying, painting BNG houses were constructed. and plastering for the young people to be adsorbed in the in- There is no doubt that the N2 Gateway housing project has dustry. Currently, there are 95 young people training as part of contributed and is still contributing to the 4.3 million houses the project to gain experience in the sector. In addition, the and opportunities provided since 1994. It also brought people youth also gain life skills and some of them become owners of closer to economic opportunities and amenities, integrated construction companies and create employment themselves. society, dealt with social inequalities, provided tenure options, managed land use, and most importantly, restored the dignity Overcoming challenges of people. Some housing projects have been completed but the houses remain unoccupied as a result of mismanagement of waiting lists and the confusion over who should benefit. The N2 Gate- * Ndivhuwo Mabaya, Head of Communications at the Department of way housing project has had its fair share of such problems, Human Settlements.

6 water and sanitaTion

Increasing access to water and sanitation services *Writer: Sputnik Ratau

he Constitutional mandate given to the Department South Africa can take pride in its achievements related to of Water and Sanitation (DWS) is clear: ensure the water and sanitation so far. Tsecurity of water supply while also transforming the According to Statistics South Africa, 74 percent of South lives of the previously un-served through the provision of Africans have access to sanitation. Despite this achievement, decent sanitation. the shortfall implies that there is still a long way to go towards With the Constitution as the cornerstone, the National ensuring universal access to services, irrespective of a house- Water Act is the guiding document that directs the DWS in hold’s geographic location. This could be either in the deep day-to-day efforts to achieve the ideals of the Constitution. rural areas or within the urban cities and towns of South Africa. The work of the department is further in support of the While the ideal in terms of universal access is on the radar, it National Development Plan (NDP) with regard to forward is essential to consider the estimated 2.2 million households strategic planning. that are serviced with a below basic level of sanitation. This The drive towards improved delivery of service for all includes the use of makeshift toilets in the form of pit latrines, people is guided by the strategic priorities of water resource the use of bucket toilets and septic tanks, among others. management, water infrastructure development, water and The department’s verification process has confirmed 57 000 sanitation services, and water sector regulation and policy bucket toilets predominantly in the Free State, Northern Cape, development. Eastern Cape and North West.

7 water and sanitaTion

Addressing sanitation backlogs The provision of sanitation is not just about bricks and mor- With this in mind, a Task Team on Basic Services has been tar. It is also about ensuring adherence to the department’s established. This team comprises the Departments of norms and standards for sanitation. The introduction of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Human measures to regulate the cost of sanitation solutions is also essential. Settlements and Water and Sanitation. The team will better Provision of decent sanitation, being the critical and basic

coordinate its efforts individually and collectively as it works service that it is, has to also be affordable ultimately for govern- towards accelerating and eradicating the sanitation backlogs by ment. 90 percent by the year 2019. Over and above this is the need for the department’s role in Conventional sanitation provision places immense pressure overseeing institutional sanitation provision to be appreciated on the capacity of existing infrastructure, more so when the and taken seriously. aspirations of communities are for a higher level of service, which normally is full water-borne sanitation. Equipping municipalities Sanitation solutions are location based. As such, a physical Working together with municipalities has shown that some condition such as terrain or topography in some towns and municipalities have a serious lack of capacity to deliver on the villages does not lend itself towards the provision of issues surrounding the DWS mandate. As a result, the depart- conventional sanitation. This impacts on how much or how ment has to intervene in these municipalities to fund the quickly the provision of services can be provided. provision or maintenance of bulk infrastructure directly Sanitation is also critically about the promotion of good supporting the Bucket Eradication Programme. health and hygiene practices within households, communities Through the programme the department has managed and the environment. The department has set up a Health and to address the poor infrastructure network emanating from Hygiene Programme, which is being mainstreamed in sanitation self-made cone house connections from households. The provision. The department sees and uses the formation of construction of new pump stations has helped avert raw the Water and Sanitation Forums within communities as the sewage spillages into the Caledon River in the Ficksburg area. To best platform to highlight the mainstreaming of this critical date about 1 154 buckets were eradicated. This is one example programme. among many of how the DWS is improving the quality of life of The provision of decent sanitation and its effect on health people across the country. and hygiene impacts greatly on the lives of the girl-child in particular. The fact that a lack of decent sanitation in schools Sustainable water supply leads to irregular school attendance is not a small matter. The provision of water supply is not an event, a onetime gush of

8 water and sanitaTion

the resource. It is a reality to ensure the provision of a sustain- Infrastructure development able and holistic value chain of water supply. These include the finalisation of the De Hoop Dam and South Africa is a water-scarce country that is negatively Mokolo-Crocodile projects in Limpopo, the raising of the impacted by climate change and the current El Niño-driven Clanwilliam Dam wall in the Western Cape and the Hazelmere drought. Dam wall in KwaZulu-Natal, the new Mzimvubu Dam and hydro- The situation has led to the country looking at new ways of electric power generation project in the Eastern Cape, as well as obtaining water for different uses. the Vaal-Gamagara water supply project. These new ways include the exploitation of groundwater, These projects will help ensure that once the drought is the reduction of water for flushing and the re-use of grey over and the rivers are flowing, the country can develop the water, among others. necessary capacity to service the communities that must benefit South Africa’s involvement in the Southern African Devel- from such infrastructure development. opment Community (SADC) Protocols, that govern coopera- While the department forges ahead with infrastructure tion with neighbouring countries with which it shares trans- development, the protection of infrastructure is paramount. boundary watercourses and how to use such waters, is This is necessary to ensure continued delivery of services. paramount. This is being emphasised through the department’s contin- South Africa shares trans-boundary watercourses with ued engagements with society and through cooperation at Zimbabwe, Swaziland, Botswana and Namibia. provincial and local government, as well as the law enforcement The different memoranda of understanding married to the agencies. SADC Protocol ensure all countries carry their responsibility The protection of infrastructure is not just about preventing van- accordingly. dalism or theft; it is also about operations and maintenance to en- The example of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project is a sure a long life of such infrastructure. perfect example of how two countries can ensure mutual The DWS is primarily responsible for bulk water supply, dams, benefit from a project over the long-term. reservoirs and pipelines. Such infrastructure is normally a On the home front, South Africa has a number of projects multi-year, multi-million, even billion rand effort and requires that collectively will assist the country to correctly address ongoing operations and maintenance. the issue of water availability for now and for generations to The department’s National Water Resources Infrastructure branch come. is responsible for ensuring that this investment is in good hands.

Sputnik Ratau, Director: Media Liaison and Content Development at the Department of Water and Sanitation.

9 OPERATION PHAKISA: OCEANS ECONOMY

Oceans hold the key to greater economic growth Writer: Cecilia de Vos Belgraver

ne of South Africa’s greatest and largely untapped President Zuma said that the oceans laboratory phase resources is its 1.5 million square kilometres of ocean focused on initiatives that are able to deliver significant impact Ospace and its 3 900km coastline that includes the sub- within the next five years and beyond and to lay the ground- Antarctic islands such as Marion and Prince Edward Island. Un- work for sustained longer-term growth, not only in priority locking this resource would yield economic growth and job areas, but also across the oceans economy as a whole. creation. Selected initial short-term target ini- South Africa’s ocean space contributes tiatives are designed to deliver results R54 billion a year to the country’s Gross Operation Phakisa is part within 12 to 18 months. Domestic Product (GDP) and 316 000 jobs. Initial oceans economy col- With its potential to raise the GDP contribu- of South Africa’s Nine- laborative labs identified proj- tion to between R129 and R177 billion with Point Plan to reignite ects for prioritisation and the ma- over a million jobs being created by 2033, jor constraints and blockages the ocean can help address the challenges growth and boost job hampering their development, such of poverty, unemployment and inequality. creations,” said the as legislative uncertainty, skills gaps, About 30 000 sea-going vessels travel President during his lengthy, bureaucratic authorisation, through South African waters each year and delayed funding and infrastructure 13 000 vessels dock in South African ports. State of the National challenges. Foreign-owned vessels ship 300 million Address in February Access to the oceans economy is tonnes of cargo and 1.2 million tonnes of not exclusively the domain of big liquid fuel along South Africa’s coast each 2016. business. The small business sector year. is essential. This is why government will keep facilitating opportunities in the oceans economy for Operation Phakisa: Oceans economy small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs), women, youth Simply put, South Africa has to expand its ocean’s economy. and people with disabilities. This will contribute to growing the overall economy and to Minister of Environmental Affairs Edna Molewa, who is also creating much-needed employment. leading the oceans economy segment of Operation Phakisa, Growing the oceans economy is part of government’s said the implementation of South Africa’s oceans economy Operation Phakisa, which President Jacob Zuma launched in strategy was on track. 2014. “By far the greatest registered success of Operation Phakisa Operation Phakisa is a results-driven approach to develop- has been the introduction of a ‘one-stop-shop’ approach to ment involving such sectors as government, business, labour, inter-departmental cooperation, thereby reducing turnaround academia, and civil society. Different sectors work together in times and speeding up decision making and delivery.” collaborative laboratories to develop delivery action plans, set The focus of the Operation Phakisa: Oceans Economy is targets and do ongoing monitoring. on six sectors. Skills development and capacity building, led

10 OPERATION PHAKISA: OCEANS ECONOMY

by the Department of Higher Education and Training and complemented by the Department of Science and Technol- ogy’s research technology and innovation initiatives, enable these prioritised sectors, namely: • Marine transport and manufacturing, led by the Department of Transport. • Offshore oil and gas, led by the Department of Mineral Resources. • Aquaculture, led by the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. • Marine protection services and ocean governance, led by the Department of Environmental Affairs. • Small harbours development, led by the Department of Public Works. • Coastal and marine tourism, led by the Department of Tourism.

Marine transport and manufacturing To benefit from the amount of traffic along its coastline it is done on vessels. The caisson was opened at the end of January critical that South Africa invest in port infrastructure. The 2016. This year, Durban and Cape Town will also receive new dock Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) has earmarked over cranes and Durban will have a new TNPA floating dock. R7 billion for this purpose. Already 200 new jobs have been In East London, a boat-building hub is envisaged and created in new port facilities and in refurbishing and maintain- an electrical and civil upgrade is under way. The East ing existing ones in the past year. London Industrial Development Zone is destined to have an Minister Molewa said that in a country that has one of Aquaculture Development Zone. the smallest ship repair industries, despite being located Further along the coast, a manganese terminal is going to be along one of the world’s busiest shipping routes, Operation established in the Port of Ngqura where an oyster aquaculture Phakisa is steadily creating opportunities for manufacturers facility is in production. and shipbuilders. The nearby Port of Port Elizabeth’s lead-in jetty has been up- Southern African Shipyards is currently building nine tugs graded and the port is set to become a catamaran-building hub for Transnet, due to be completed in 2018, which will be used with R1.25 billion in investment contracts with TAG Yachts over at Saldanha Bay. the next five years, creating 500 jobs. An abalone aquaculture The South African Navy has also tendered for six patrol vessels project is also in production in the Port Elizabeth-Cape Recife area. to be delivered in the next few years under Project Biro, as well The Port of Cape Town has gained a fuel-storage facility that as a large specialist hydrographic survey vessel dubbed Project represents a R660 million investment and the creation of 150 Hotel. Moreover, the navy’s requirement for two new workboat construction jobs. ferries, worth about R23 million, has been put out to tender. Thanks to an investment of R150 million and a partnership be- “As part of unblocking obstacles to major infrastructure tween two shipyards in Cape Town, two offshore mining vessels development the rehabilitation, upgrade and redevelopment will be built. of several smallharbours, such as dredging and the removal of Two bulk carriers registered on the South African Ships Register sunken vessels, is underway,” said the Minister. operate from Port Elizabeth and a third tanker operating from Richards Bay will service ship repair and boat-building, Cape Town has been registered. the oil and gas industry, and create secondary indus- A new harbour is planned for Port Nolloth on South Africa’s West tries for manufacturing. A procurement strategy is un- Coast, where an aquaculture initiative exists. Abalone ranching derway and expressions of interest will be identified by and hatching is under way, there are abalone aquaculture ranch- December. A kob farming aquaculture project complementing ing, hatchery and production facilities in nearby Hondeklip Bay an existing fish processing facility has started. and there is an oyster-growing facility in Kleinzee. Plenty is happening in Durban as well. The port’s stature will The Port of Saldanha is set to serve as an oil and gas hub, with increase when its naval station is upgraded to the status of a total public-private investment of R9.2 billion envisaged over fully-fledged naval base. five years and work having started on the Offshore Supply Base Southey Holdings, which operates from Durban, will in- that has created 30 initial jobs. vest R289.9 million in boat-building infrastructure and Nau- Saldanha Bay’s aquaculture facilities are producing brown mus- tic Africa, which operates from Cape Town, has committed sels, oysters and abalone. R63.4 million for investment in boat-building infrastructure. Together these investments have created 355 jobs. Aquaculture Equipment such as heavy duty forklift and welding equip- Globally, aquaculture supplies almost 50 percent of the world’s ment worth about R4 million has been procured for the fish and it is estimated that by 2030 the world will need an addi- Durban Dry Dock and contract work on the Durban Dry Dock tional 50 tonnes of fish, which will come mainly from aquaculture. Caisson worth about R43 million has been done. The caisson This industry is an emerging one in South Africa, with allows water to be pumped out of the dock and for work to be production levels still low, but it does offer a way to diversify

11 OPERATION PHAKISA: OCEANS ECONOMY

fish production and satisfy local and national demand while IOPC Fund provides financial compensation for oil pollution contributing to food and nutritional security, stimulating rural damage that occurs in member states, resulting from spills of development and livelihoods and creating opportunities for persistent oil from tankers. The fund is financed by SMMEs, export trade and foreign direct investment. contributions from entities that receive certain types of oil by “There has also been notable progress in the aquaculture sec- sea transport. tor, where we have focused in the short-term on regulatory reform, financing, skills development and access to markets,” Small harbour development said Minister Molewa. Small harbour development, coastal and marine tourism and Government has invested over R106 million and the aquaculture present significant potential for growing rural private sector over R338 million in aquaculture in South Africa, economies. creating 521 jobs and empowering eight SMMEs. Minister Molewa said as part of unblocking obstacles to Various aquaculture farms are in production but the high- major infrastructure development, Operation Phakisa is currently lights in this sector are Doring Bay, Abagold, working on the rehabilitation, upgrade and redevelopment of Hondeklip Bay, Hamburg and Richards several small harbours, such as dredging and removal of sunken Bay. In the Eastern Cape the Hamburg vessels. A roadmap has also been developed for the proclama- aquaculture project has had a suc- Saldanha Bay has tion of new harbours in the Northern Cape, Eastern Cape and cessful first harvest. been identified as a KwaZulu-Natal. potential major oil Harbour upgrades have started in Gansbaai, Saldan- Offshore oil and gas and gas hub. ha Bay, Struisbaai, Gordons Bay and Lambert’s exploration Bay and the Port of Mossel Bay’s slipway is South Africa could also serve the oil being refurbished. and gas sector by extending the capacity for repairing and maintaining Coastal and marine gas and oil rigs. At the moment only tourism four rigs a year are serviced. The Department of Tourism intends Saldanha Bay has been identi- launching the Blue Flag Ambas- fied as a potential sador Programme, which will be major oil and gas hub serving implemented through the Ex- the South African and West panded Public Works Programme African markets, as well as a des- (EPWP) framework. The Blue Flag tination for rig and offshore Programme is a voluntary eco-label support vessel repairs and main- for beaches, marinas, whale-watch- tenance. Therefore, ing boats and boats in general. It has specialised infrastructure is being become a symbol of quality across the developed. Work has started on an world. offshore supply base in Saldanha Bay It is designed to raise environmental as part of a R9.2 billion public-private Minister Pandor has awareness and increase sound en- partnership model to develop an oil and gas also launched the South vironmental practises among tour- service complex. Work on rig repair facilities and a African Marine ists, local population and beach PetroSA (Mossgas) jetty extension are likely to start in 2018. Research and management. The aim is to achieve In addition, Minister of Science and Technology Naledi Pan- Exploration Forum. a safe, clean and healthy environ- dor has signed a memorandum of understanding with the oil ment and attract a more steady flow and gas industry to grow public sector research through private of visitors. sector exploration. Fifteen exploration licenses have been issued For the next three financial years to the oil and gas industry. (2016 – 2019) the focus will be on Minister Pandor has also launched the South African Marine Re- South Africa’s 50 existing Blue Flag beaches. search and Exploration Forum - a critical partnership between the The programme will employ 206 people: six in man- public and private sector extractive industries, repr sented by aging the project and 200 ambassadors. They will be Offshore Petroleum South Africa - to exploit broader research employed from local communities to perform monitoring, edu- opportunities presented by offshore oil and gas exploration to cation, tourism and awareness on Blue Flag beaches. The main undertake research, using private sector vessels. fields the programme will cover include safety, environmental management, environmental education, tourism training and Marine protection services and ocean infrastructure maintenance. governance For tourism to contribute to the oceans economy, the de- Minister Molewa said the successes of Operation Phakisa’s partment will also give attention to the revitalisation of beach methodology in the area of marine protection services front precincts, boat-based whale-watching, shark-cage diving include the “commencement of pre-emergency planning in and recreational boats. respect of oil spill emergency responses, and the establish- Operation Phakisa’s goal is to accelerate the rate of change ment of hazard identification and Incident Management in South Africa. It was inspired by Malaysia’s successful Big Fast Organisation protocols”. Results Methodology. Phakisa means ‘hurry up’ in Sesotho and In addition, operationalising the International Oil Pollu- to date the oceans economy segment of Operation Phakisa has tion Compensation Fund (IOPC) is almost complete. The certainly been picking up speed and steadily yielding results.