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December 2015
News
T
heMinister of Water and Sanita-
tion, Nomvula Mokonyane, is
under pressure to release the
Blue and Green Drop reports.
The Blue Drop Programme mea-
sures water treatment plants and
the quality of drinking
water and the Green
Drop Programme as-
sesses the quality of
wastewater treat-
me n t wo r k s .
“These reports
are crucial for
i den t i f y i ng
systems that
fail to provide
communities
with clean and
safe water. As South
Africa braces for an unparalleled wa-
ter crisis, these reports are essential
to understanding the state of our
water infrastructure nationwide,” says
Democratic Alliance Shadow Deputy
Minister of Water and Sanitation, Leon
Basson.
According to Basson, “The Minister
is stalling in submitting the report to
parliament. South Africans deserve
answers on the state of water provi-
sion in South Africa.”
■
Mokonyane
under pressure
T
his follows the Democratic Alli-
ance’s request to both Minister
Gordhan and the Minister of
Finance Nhlanhla Nene to initiate a
forensic investigation against Execu-
tive Mayor, Kgosientso Ramokgopa,
and all those involved in the contract.
According to DAMayoral Candidate
for Tshwane, Solly Msimanga, “In fact,
Gordhan instructed the City of Tsh-
wane not to enter into the PEU con-
tract when hewas Minister of Finance.
Executive Mayor Ramokgopa and
Municipal Manager Ngobeni chose to
ignore this instruction.”
The total amount lost by the City
of Tshwane to date on the terminated
PEU smart meter contract is R1.84
billion, which is money that the
PEU investigation by Gordhan
The Minister of Cooperative
Governance and Traditional
Affairs Pravin Gordhan has called
for an investigation into the
City of Tshwane’s corrupt and
unlawful PEU Capital Partners
(PEU) smart-meter contract,
which has wasted R1,84 billion
to date.
T
he Department of Public Works
says the new prescribed mini-
mum wage of the Expanded
Public Works Programme (EPWP) will
be increased from R75.10 to R78.86
per day, with immediate effect.
The EPWP wage increase is adjust-
ed annually in line with
the current infla-
tion rate. Acting
EPWP Deputy
Director Gener-
al Kelebogile
Se t h i be l o
urged all
t he im-
plement-
ers of the
EPWP wage increase
residents of Tshwane have been
robbed of. This exorbitant amount
has only resulted in around 12 000
meters being installed, out of the
800 000 meters needed.
Msimanga says that Minister Gord-
han’smove to investigate the contract
is a welcome first step against this
corrupt, fraudulent and unlawful
situation.
Gordhan has asked Gauteng
MEC for Local Government Jacob
Mamabolo to launch an investigation
into the matter and has given his de-
partment 30 days to respond.
■
EPWP to timeously adjust the pro-
gramme participants’ wages accord-
ingly and to comply with the state
requirements.
She said the EPWP mandate to
alleviate poverty and unemploy-
ment remains steady in addressing
the challenges of unemployment,
inequality and unemployment within
communities.
“It provides a safety net formillions
of unemployed South Africans who
depend solely on Public Employment
Programmes for survival.
The EPWP remains one of the suc-
cessful government initiatives aimed
at reducing unemployment through
the provision of training and work
opportunities.
Sethibelo says that
the programme aims
to create six million
job opportunities over
a five year period from
2014 to 2019.
■