EDITOR’S COMMENT
Water& Sanitation Africa
Managing Editor: Kirsten Kelly
The public, the government and trust
kirsten@infrastructurenews.co.za Digital Manager: Ziyanda Majodina Designer: Beren Bauermeister Sub-editor: Tristan Snijders Contributors: Preyan Arumugam, Chris Ashmore, Richard Friend, Lester Goldman, Clive Lipchin, Raquel Nosie Mazwi, Chetan Mistry, Dan Naidoo, Mbali Sibiya Advertising Sales: Hanlie Fintelman c +27 (0)67 756 3132 hanlie@infrastructurenews.co.za Digital Sales: Gontse Zuma c +27 (0)64 513 0904 gontse@infrastructurenews.co.za
Publisher Infrastructure News 47 Grove Road, Orange Grove, Johannesburg Gauteng, 2192 Tel: +27 (0)83 433 4475 www.infrastructurenews.co.za
ISSN: 1990 - 8857 Annual subscription: R330 (SA rate)
kirsten@infrastructurenews.co.za Copyright 2023. All rights reserved. All material herein is
copyright protected. The views of contributors do not necessarily reflect those of WISA or the publishers.
WISA’s Vision
Inspiring passion for water
WISA Contacts: HEAD OFFICE Tel: 086 111 9472(WISA) Fax: +27 (0)11 315 1258 Physical address: 1st Floor, Building 5, Constantia Park, 546 16th Road, Randjiespark Ext 7, Midrand Website: www.wisa.org.za BRANCHES Eastern Cape: Branch Contact: Dan Abrahams Company: Aurecon Tel: +27 (0)41 503 3929 Cell: +27 (0) 81 289 1624 Email: Dan.Abraham@aurecongroup.com Gauteng Branch Lead: Zoe Gebhardt Cell: +27 (0)82 3580876 Email: zoe.gebhardt@gmail.com KwaZulu-Natal Chairperson: Lindelani Sibiya Company: Umgeni Water Cell: +27 (0)82 928 1081 Email: lindelani.sibiya@umgeni.co.za Limpopo Chairperson: Mpho Chokolo Company: Lepelle Northern Water Cell: +27 (0)72 310 7576 Email: mphoc@lepelle.co.za Western Cape Chairperson: Natasia van Binsbergen Company: AL Abbott & Associates Tel: +27 (0)21 448 6340 Cell: +27 (0)83 326 3887 Email: natasia@alabbott.co.za DIVISIONS • Anaerobic Sludge Processes • Industrial Water • International Water Association-Southern Africa (IWA-SA) • Innovation for Water Supply & Sanitation • Mine Water Lead • Process Controllers • Small Wastewater Treatment Works • Water Distribution • Water Reuse Division • Modelling and Data Division
"The glue that holds all relationships together – including the relationship between the leader and the led – is trust.” Brian Tracy, author
I
n South Africa, protests against poor public services are common, sometimes turning violent and destructive as citizens express their frustration with inadequate water supply, sanitation, housing, and electricity. At the forefront of protesters’ demands are calls for an end to widespread corruption that they say undermines the state’s ability to deliver high-quality public services. Meanwhile, citizen trust in public institutions that are supposed to address corruption has been dwindling. A study by Edelman Trust Barometer in 2021 reports that only 27% of South Africans trust their government. This makes it increasingly difficult for government to engage with the public and businesses alike around critical policy measures. Every time a new policy is announced, political trust is brought into question. All levels and positions in the state apparatus come under scrutiny: from the president to the provincial premier, municipal mayors, the judiciary, political parties, corrupt mediators, even politicians’ families. Recently, Minister of Water and Sanitation Senzo Mchunu had to defend the establishment of the South African National Water Resources Infrastructure Agency (NWRIA). The main rationale for establishing the NWRIA is to create an enabling institutional environment for raising more private sector finance for water resource infrastructure. The bill had not been supported by 75% of the submissions. Concerns have been raised on whether the NWRIA will turn into a corrupt, underperforming state-owned enterprise that will further Promoting professional excellence in the water sector The official magazine of the Water Institute of Southern Africa
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EMPOWERMENT PLATFORMS • Women In Water • Young Water Professionals Collaborative water management: a path to Israeli-Palestinian peace
The ABC logo is a valued stamp of measurement and trust. WASA is ABC audited and certified.
drain the fiscus. This lack of trust has caused the rejection of what could be a very good solution to the funding problem around water infrastructure. One only needs to read the comments section of articles where government institutions call on the public to use water sparingly. Citizens take exception to being ‘blamed’ for the shortage of water; they in turn ‘blame’ government and any water conservation message is lost. This was emphasised by Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality when I asked how they could improve on water demand management (page 26). Communities would take government ‘Day Zero’ warnings more seriously if there were more trust. When I asked Shyam Misra, group MD from the South African Water Works (page 6), how water reuse gained acceptance in Ballito, trust was one of the first words he mentioned. Every possible solution to every water problem requires collaboration and coordination between public and private stakeholders. Trust facilitates long-term collaboration and fosters cooperation and compliance. As the many passionate, competent, and committed people in the public sector continue to work towards attaining clean water and sanitation for all, I hope trust starts to build again. We so desperately need it.
“We are focused on growing the business beyond water storage into a full water solutions company and the purchase of Calcamite falls within that strategy. Calcamite is a leader in on-site sanitation and wastewater solutions. Water and sanitation are invariably linked and that is why Calcamite is a perfect fit for JoJo Tanks. Without suitable wastewater management, we cannot have quality water.” Sebasti Badenhorst Sales and Marketing Executive, JoJo Tanks P14 November/December 2023 • ISSN 1990-8857 • R55.00 (incl. VAT) • Vol. 18 No. 06
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COVER OPPORTUNITY In each issue, Water&Sanitation Africa offers companies the opportunity to get to the front of the line by placing a company, product or service on the front cover of the magazine. Buying this position will afford the advertiser the cover story and maximum exposure. For more information, contact Hanlie Fintelman on +27 (0)67 756 3132, or email hanlie@infrastructurenews.co.za.
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