SOD TURNING ON THE GREYTOWN WATER SUPPLY SCHEME
OF THE UMZINYATHI DISTRICT MUNICIPALITY
WORDS OF SUPPORT BY
PRINCE MANGOSUTHU BUTHELEZI MP
PRESIDENT OF THE INKATHA FREEDOM PARTY
Greytown: 29 January 2019
His Worship the Mayor of Umzinyathi District Municipality, Alderman Petros Ngubane; Members of EXCO, Councillors and officials of the Municipality; AmaKhosi and Izinduna; representatives of Royal Haskoning DHV Consulting, of Magnacorp, and of Bosch Munitec; distinguished guests and members of this community.
Today we mark a significant milestone on our long journey towards relief from water scarcity. This is not the first step. It is one of many that we have taken in this journey. Today’s sod-turning is the culmination of years of work. A project of this size requires countless hours of impact assessments, research, investigations, proposals, funding considerations and consultation.
These steps are important. Because you cannot embark on a project of this size without being sure it can be completed, and without knowing it will work.
For those who are watching, though, the process seems endless, and people are tempted to think that all of this is unnecessary. The fact is we need water. How difficult can it be to fix this problem?
I know that way of thinking, because I am tempted to think that way myself when I am faced with drought. I am not just a politician. I am also a farmer, and when we experience drought in Zululand District it affects me deeply. Over the years, I have lost many head of cattle to drought. It is unspeakably difficult to watch my animals suffer and die, knowing that I cannot stop this from happening. I cannot make it rain. There is a feeling of utter helplessness in the midst of a drought.
But because I am a leader as well as a farmer, I know that I must do everything in my power to alleviate the hardship while drought lasts.
Greytown has experienced devastating drought for several years. You know what I mean when I talk about cattle dying and crops failing. You know about severe water restrictions and the hardship that this adds to daily life. There is already hardship here. But add a lack of that basic human necessity – water – and things become unbearable.
So today’s sod turning is really a cause for celebration, because something is being done that will help thousands of residents of Greytown and Nhlakahle. Admittedly, it will not be an overnight miracle. This project is still more than a year away from completion. But it has a completion date. It has a timeframe and a costing structure, and it will be overseen every step of the way by the Umzinyathi Municipality.
The Mayor and his team will make sure the job is done, and done well; not only because you need water, but because this is their responsibility. The people of Umzinyathi District have elected them to lead because they are trustworthy. You have put your trust in them, because you trust the Party they belong to. You know that the IFP cares. You know we are in it to serve. And you know that we have always served with excellence.
When we come up against that pernicious evil of corruption, we fight it. We don’t give in and become a part of the problem. Corruption is everywhere. It is a cancer in our country that was allowed to flourish because of weak leadership at the very top of Government. Over years it became entrenched in Government, so that now it is an inevitable part of tender processes, service delivery and governance. The threat of corruption is always present.
I am not going to tell you that we don’t experience it. But I can promise you that when the IFP is confronted with even the hint of corruption, we shut it down. That is part of our DNA. It makes us who we are. We have consistently and consciously guarded against corruption, speaking about it and warning about it and protecting against it within our Party. Corruption has never been tolerated in the IFP.
We know how deeply it affects good governance, and we know that the cost is borne by you, the people. So even if things take longer, when we see corruption is creeping in, we will stop everything and sort it out. Even if processes have to be started again from scratch. It is not worth compromising just for the sake of getting things done. Because the end product will never do what it was meant to do if it was built on corruption.
That is why we see so many RDP houses falling apart across the country. Corruption entered the tender process and it was never dealt with. Thus many of the houses were built with shoddy workmanship, and now they need to be rebuilt. It has cost Government billions of Rand; money that was never supposed to be re-allocated to housing, but should have been available for healthcare, or education, or policing.
They should have got it right the first time. It may have taken longer. It may have been more difficult. It may even have made people ask, “Why is this taking so long? Don’t they care?” But Government has a responsibility to do things right, to do them honestly and to do them well. Because that’s how a good steward works with people’s money. You don’t waste it. You make sure it achieves as much as it possibly can, without losses, theft or wastage.
I am proud to witness today’s sod-turning ceremony. I am encouraged to know that this project will create job opportunities over the year ahead. And I am relieved that the water crisis here is being dealt with, and that it is being dealt with properly, honestly and thoroughly.
I want to thank our Mayor of Umzinyathi District Municipality for driving this project. A great responsibility has been placed on his shoulders by the electorate. As a leader in the IFP, I know that he will do everything in his power to fulfil that responsibility with integrity.
I thank you.
