Chairperson, let me take this opportunity to welcome our able director-general, which I did not do earlier. He is here with us now, having just arrived from Egypt, where he attended the African Ministers' Council on Water meeting. [Applause.] Thank you very much to the team leadership of the department. Thank you to all the hon members who have participated in this debate.
I was asked why we have such a lively debate on the environment and water, yet we don't differ greatly. My response is that we share an understanding of collectivism and collective leadership in the work we do. We articulated this very well today. That is really the reason we don't differ. That does not mean there are no instances where we disagree. We disagree with dignity and vision but in the final analysis we strive to find a good answer that takes our country forward. That is the big difference. [Applause.]
Having said that, I would like to remark on some issues raised by hon members. To the chair of this committee I would like to say, we really appreciate the role that you play as the chair. You can see the committee is well led.
You raised matters regarding the continuous need for oversight and mentioned the actual work that we are doing in the attempt to get our department back on its feet and deliver a good service to the people of South Africa. These comments are appreciated. Yes, we undertake today, in front of everybody here, to respond to the need and to continue briefing the committee and receiving constructive criticism, which builds us up, on a continuous basis. Thank you very much.
You, hon chairperson, and the member of the opposition in the committee, Mr Morgan, raised issues regarding infrastructure maintenance. Many other colleagues raised these issues too. The hon Holomisa raised them very sharply as well. We acknowledge the issues. By the way, we are not looking only at the municipalities. We believe there is a need to pay greater attention to this. That is why I articulated this in my presentation as well. We will follow the National Water Resource Strategy, which will be released in July this year, and we will definitely consult people.
Hon Morgan, you raised the fact that there was a need for a vigorous look at the allocation of water - the leader, which is Water Affairs, should be followed. We can make that difference collectively, and it is an imperative that we do so. That is why we are saying that whenever a development is being planned, the question that must be asked is this: "Is there water available?" That is the starting point. Then we can take that forward.
On the issue of towns like Carolina, Delmas and many others, where we have experienced certain challenges, which Mrs Wenger alluded to, we take cognisance of those areas and will definitely attend to them. This was alluded to in our Blue Drop Report this year. The good thing about the Blue Drop and Green Drop reports is that we do them for the purpose of looking at ourselves in the mirror and asking, "What do we need to correct?" They are reports that are intended to help us correct the work we do and the weaknesses we have experienced.
Regarding sustainable development, there is a poem about this good thing, which I like. I think I must recite it! Let me just say that I have a passion for sustainable development. As a matter of fact, we are going to Rio in a few weeks from now. Water is at the heart of sustainable development. Rio+20, the Adopt a River project and the Working for Water programme are all on the agenda and we are really doing that work well.
Mama Zikalala, we are honestly not lethargic. All the other programmes that you mentioned are on our work programme - desalination, boreholes, harvesting and so on. All those alternative methods are being considered. We acknowledge that we need to expand our education programme.
Man Manganye, ha swi twisisa loko mi ku vanhu va fanele va va na mati yo tirhisa emakaya hambi ku ri na nhluvukiso wa ikhonomi kumbe yin'wana. Hi pfumelelana na n'wina naswona hi ta endla tano. [Ms Manganye, we understand when you say that people are supposed to have water for domestic use, even when there is economic development or any other development. We agree with you and we will do so.]
Hon Holomisa spoke about a call centre and the need for a national register. These are possibilities we will definitely consider. At the heart of all this is the involvement of the people. I highlighted that in my speech. This is one of the few areas where people have not been included, at the heart of participation and lawmaking. Even in regard to planning, people have to be included and they have to be at the heart of it.
Hon Huang, we take note of all the issues you raised about the water boards, water tariffs and so on. We do take note and thank you very much. We will continue to report to you on the issue of debts owed by municipalities and we will work on that.
With regard to Green Drop, we will release a report. We are updating the report this year and next year we will definitely release the report. We do this kind of work every other year.
Regarding policy shifts needed, let us engage on that topic with government and with each other as well. We believe there is merit in ensuring that funds are set aside for the work we want to do.
I want to take this moment to thank you very heartily on behalf of the entire team in the water sector. All our boards are here. Nkosi Sigcawu, re re, re a leboga. [Chief Sigcawu, we are saying that, we thank you.] Thank you all very much for being here. Thank you to the team and thank you, Chair, for the lively debate. [Applause.]
Debate concluded.