Water and Sanitation Deputy Minister David Mahlobo has emphasised the importance of transparency in government projects.
“Transparency in the implementation of government’s projects should be a norm and community members should be consulted regularly to keep them in the loop on the progress and delays of projects in their localities,” Mahlobo said.
Mahlobo was speaking at the Section 63 Stakeholder Engagement Meeting to plan and implement solutions for the Vaal River.
The Deputy Minister was joined by Gauteng Human Settlements, Urban Planning, Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC, Lebogang Maile.
Mahlobo said if government is transparent, communities will begin to trust and have confidence in government again.
“People out there think there is so much corruption in government, even in cases where there is none. It is because we do things in the corners and we do not consult properly and give feedback to our people.
“We need to decide if we want to please a few people at the expense of community members living here. Government and community members need to see value in the money spent on projects,” Mahlobo said.
He also instructed Rand Water to work with law enforcement agencies to develop a security plan in the Vaal to stop the vandalism of water infrastructure. He added that a capacity-building plan, as well as an operations and maintenance plan that will ensure that the occurrence does not happen again.
The Section 63 stakeholder engagement with community leaders of different formations and role players in the project to stop the sewer spillages experienced in the Vaal were appraised of the preparatory plans to deal with the scourge effectively and efficiently.
Rand Water, an implementing agent on behalf of the department, presented a plan to community leaders and stakeholders on the progress made in laying down the foundation that will see the beginning of the intervention work to stop spillages.
The intervention work undertaken by Rand Water is set to create employment opportunities for local labourers and business opportunities for local small businesses.
Maile implored all role players to work hand in glove to ensure that the spillages are stopped as a matter of urgency, to restore people’s dignity and ensure local beneficiation. He further emphasised that Rand Water needs to hold workshops throughout the Vaal and educate people about what they need to do to be part of the projects.
“As politicians, it is our task to play an oversight role and not involve ourselves in things that have got nothing to do with us. We need to allow Rand Water to work, ours is to be vigilant, give leadership and give support to officials so that this project is implemented without any delays,” Maile said.
The community leaders had earlier raised various issues and also appealed to government to involve them in decision making in a consultative manner. – SAnews.gov.za
