DA makes waves with water report

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DA makes waves with water report
April 16, 2010

The Democratic Alliance's deputy spokesperson on Water Affairs Annette Lovemore provoked a storm of protest, not least from the Water Affairs Minister Buyelwa Sonjica, when she livened up the debate on the department's budget in Parliament with a few choice comments on the "Green Drop" report on the state of waste water treatment in this country.

The problem was that the report has not yet been published.

Sonjica was on her feet instantly to complain that Lovemore was taking advantage of a courtesy copy that as been sent to her ahead of time, and that was wrong.

The chairman of the debate, which was taking place in an extended public committee of the National Assembly on Thursday, said that the minister was not raising a point of order, and that Lovemore should continue. She did, with obvious relish.

She pointed out that only 53 percent of wastewater works were actually assessed; 47 percent were not assessed because the local authorities were not obeying the call to be assessed, or their officials were not sufficiently confident in their levels of competence to be subjected to assessments, or were not managing the services according to expected requirements and were therefore not in possession of management information required for Green Drop assessments.

"These are not reasons for not assessing," she said emphatically. "These are reasons for a score of zero and for urgent intervention."

Lovemore added: "So, while the Minister will be announcing shortly that 32, or 7.4 percent, of works actually achieved Green Drop status, she should be announcing that only 3.8 percent of works comply fully with requirements."

"The minister will also be announcing that 45 percent of the works assessed scored better than 50 percent. In fact, however, 76 percent of the works scored less than 50 percent, and 47 percent of the works, in effect, scored zero."

Replying to the debate Sonjica declined to be drawn, saying that the report is not yet published and she will not comment until it is.

http://www.busrep.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=561&fArticleId=5432270
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Even a civil war, actually a full scale war, cannot do the damage, that the anc has done, to the infrastructure of SA...

Let's not even mention the long term psychological damage, specific to the various ethnic groups that comprise SA...
 
Lightscribe said:
Even a civil war, actually a full scale war, cannot do the damage, that the anc has done, to the infrastructure of SA...

Let's not even mention the long term psychological damage, specific to the various ethnic groups that comprise SA...
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Truer words have never been spoken.
 
The longer these clowns remain in oversight and control of matters such as water, electricity, roads, sewage and waste, and all other essential services, the closer this country will get to the brink of collapse. The president and cabinet may have the best intentions, but regrettably their "cadres" at grass root level are not skilled for the job they do, have no foresight and are solely focused on the next pay cheque.

The president has said that one his focuses would be municipal services and the like, but apart from surprise visit to the mayor of Balfour, I am yet to see him get serious about his promises.

The sooner the people of the country realise this and send the message to them in the party in power the better.
 
Thats OK. Safe water is totally overrated anyway. Only colonialists need it really. Comrades & communists are totally hardcore and don't mind drinking sewage. And if one of the comrades object then you label them a counter-revolutionary/bloody agent.

/me thinks I should become a politician
 
McT said:
The president and cabinet may have the best intentions...
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They don't even have that. They could not care a damn about what's best for this country.
 
HavocXphere said:
Thats OK. Safe water is totally overrated anyway. Only colonialists need it really. Comrades & communists are totally hardcore and don't mind drinking sewage. And if one of the comrades object then you label them a counter-revolutionary/bloody agent.

/me thinks I should become a politician
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Until there is a massive cholera outbreak and international support is called for. AGAIN - *sigh*
 
Lightscribe said:
Even a civil war, actually a full scale war, cannot do the damage, that the anc has done, to the infrastructure of SA...
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You’re right about a war. No need for an enemy to actually go to the expense and effort of actually attacking SA. The SA government is doing more damage than an enemy possibly could (or even dream of doing). Let’s just wait on the sidelines [they think] for the country to implode by itself and pick-up the pieces at no cost. Just keep up the diplomatic criticism so that we are seen as the main enemy so as to have first pick of the wreckage. Other countries, when they see how cheap and easy it all is, will be vying with one another to demonstrate how hostile they are so they can have seconds.

In a conventional war the destruction of SA by an enemy would be puddy sticks because martial skills have been ‘transformed’. Consider a WW2 scenario (the most familiar). A fleet of bombers (no, I don’t know where they launch from – stay with me) set out to bomb the ship yards of Durban (a strategic target). The target is ‘hardened’ with AA gun batteries (it’s a strategic point). Some bombers get through the AA barrage and prepare for a single attack run (more would be suicide). Even rocks are being thrown at them by a terrified staff. Most bombs splash harmlessly in the water or hit non-vital targets. Some hit vital targets. At a terrible cost in terms of men, materials and morale the enemy causes some damage to shipbuilding infrastructure (which no longer exists). The pre-’94 SA staff (skills undamaged) swing into action. ‘Making a plan’ is part of their job description (sanctions helped) and they don’t even think about it. What vessels actually need the bombed infrastructure? Can divers do repairs? Can repairs be postponed? Etc. A sort of industrial triage.

Any other government, if they had stuffed-up like this, would have resigned in a body and hung their heads in shame. Our government indulges in unseemly scuffling around the gravy trough or behave like buffoons in the international arena (lowering prestige and status).

What about IT skills? We (SA) have a pitiful few and there are no new trainee’s coming through. Because of the crappy broadband, the high costs associated with telecommunications, the monopolistic practises of providers and, of course, the ever present gravy trough, there are too few and none are being trained (cost and dumbed-down education). Telkom, hang your head! The power paradigm has shifted from manpower and bludgeons to knowledge and viruses. We need proficient people to man the electronic frontier to the country. Not to invent “Made in SA” innovations (I wish) but just to hold the line. We are becoming vulnerable to electronic attack. The nature of warfare is changing and futile efforts (like the Arms Deal) are way behind the curve. Another stuff-up.

With climate change, floods, droughts, etc. adequate disaster management is a biggie. Crapulous hospitals, fire-fighting, ambulances, police, military, etc. is discouraging. Prior to 1994, I visualised the shambles as the wheels fell off any disaster plan in spite of the best ad-hoc efforts of skilled co-ordinators, with a working infrastructure. Now the infrastructure is crumbling (if it exists) and the obscenely well-paid managers are only skilled at snuffling in the gravy trough. The wheels can’t fall off any plan because they aren’t there (they were stolen). No disaster plan exists. If a catastrophe happens (very likely) my skin horripilates at the ineffectual blundering around of the authorities.

Aside: And the commandos have been disbanded. Fire-fighting (controlled burns of fire breaks) were occasionally done while I was a military conscript. A huge, disciplined body of men (who followed orders and could be co-ordinated and didn’t wimp-out quickly), with adequate footwear (boots) and with vehicles, radios, helicopters, ambulances and field kitchens, worked well. Fires stood to attention and dressed by the right.
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Weep.
 
Its not exactly an ANC thing though they are responsible. Its part of the bigger problem of globalisation and WTO tie ins. We are not the only country to suffer this kind of problem.
 
krycor said:
Its not exactly an ANC thing though they are responsible. Its part of the bigger problem of globalisation and WTO tie ins. We are not the only country to suffer this kind of problem.
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??? Most countries' infrastructures are improving.
 
@Palimino - excellent post!

We are heading for disaster - but we choose to ignore it.
 
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