The trainees of the War-on-Leaks project will soon be informed how they will access their stipends from the R30 million transferred to Rand Water last month.
The Department of Water and Sanitation transferred the money at the end of August to enable Rand Water, as the implementing agent, to effect stipend payments to the trainees as soon as the money clears on their account.
The department has apologised to the affected youths for the delay in the payment of their stipends.
Water and Sanitation Minister Gugile Nkwinti gave an instruction that the necessary funding has to be found within the department’s budget to ensure that the project reaches finality.
“The department hopes that the latest developments will spur the youths into action in terms of their acquired training skills,” the department said in a statement.
War-on-Leaks is a Presidential project launched in Port Elizabeth three years ago with the aim of helping municipalities’ operations and maintenance efforts to ensure that aging infrastructure, which normally results in pipe bursts and leaks, is fixed timeously.
As such, trainees from particular municipalities should hopefully be absorbed into affected the municipalities. – SAnews.gov.za
