KNYSNA NEWS - The election of the chairperson and deputy chairperson of the Knysna Water and Sanitation Community Forum has been welcomed by the provincial Department of Water and Sanitation.
Rodney Nay and Ludwe Qoshe will serve as chair and deputy chair of the forum respectively for the next two years, following their election on Tuesday 18 February.
Civil engineer
Nay is a retired civil engineer and experienced public servant who worked for the City of Johannesburg until 2004 before joining Knysna municipality.
He managed the Municipal Infrastructure Grant at Knysna municipality until his retirement in 2013.
A resident of Sedgefield, he is dedicated to improving water security across the Knysna area.
"My first goal as chairperson is to ensure water security for the entire Knysna area. I also want to empower ward committee members to actively engage in and take responsibility for water and sanitation issues within our municipality," said Nay.
Ludwe Qoshe, the deputy chairperson of the Knysna Water and Sanitation Community Forum.
Asivikelane Campaign
Qoshe, who works for the Asivikelane Campaign based in Knysna, brings valuable experience to the forum. The Asivikelane ("Let's Protect Each Other") Campaign is committed to addressing ongoing service delivery and maintenance challenges in informal settlements.
The election of Nay and Qoshe took place at Knysna Town Hall, and was overseen by the Department of Water and Sanitation, officials from Knysna municipality, and various stakeholders, including government entities, community-based organisations, and members of ward committees in the municipal area.
Mechanism for residents
The Water and Sanitation Community Forum serves as a mechanism for residents to raise concerns regarding water and sanitation services.
It facilitates communication with the municipality and relevant government departments at both provincial and national level, for intervention.
The forum oversees, and coordinates responses to, issues such as blocked drains, damaged water infrastructure and vandalism, among others.
The aims of the forum are to:
· To ensure direct interaction between the government and different communities and stakeholders, on issues that affect communities and stakeholders on a daily basis, and to come up with agreed resolutions;
· To improve communication and feedback between the community and the municipality with regards to water and sanitation matters;
· To proactively prevent potential service delivery protests, which are usually about a lack of basic services like water and sanitation;
· To promote transparency on water and sanitation-related projects being implemented by the government within the municipality's jurisdiction; and
· To facilitate and encourage the active participation of local community members in water and sanitation governance.
Effective functioning
As chairperson, Nay will ensure the forum functions effectively, representatives serve their communities, and key issues are escalated to the relevant authorities.
Anton Jones, the director of water and sanitation support services at the Department of Water and Sanitation, highlighted the importance of the forum, and other such forums, in fulfilling the department's mandate.
"These forums enable the department to engage with stakeholders who are directly or indirectly involved in water and sanitation services and water resource management.
'Decentralised structure'
"The National Water Act envisions a decentralised institutional structure where local and regional communities are actively involved in managing their water resources," said Jones.
Following the election, the Department of Water and Sanitation provided basic training for the forum members, on the water and sanitation value chain.
Training undertaken
The training undertaken, among others, covered:
· An overview of progress in service delivery since the advent of democracy in South Africa, and of the current status of water and sanitation within Knysna municipality;
· The water and sanitation value chain - from source to tap;
· Water services planning, with a focus on applying for the department's four grants for infrastructure development and maintenance;
· Water quality certification programmes, including Blue Drop, Green Drop, and No Drop; and
· Compliance and enforcement of water and sanitation policies and regulations.
The local forum is set to be officially launched next month, but work has already commenced to ensure that water and sanitation issues in Knysna are addressed effectively.
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