The newly-launched water learnership programme in Hammanskraal will see its participants bridging the gap between the community and the City of Tshwane in terms of ensuring the provision of clean water for the people.
This was according to Tshwane council speaker Mncedi Ndzwanana who spoke during the official launch of the programme at the Temba Council Chamber on Thursday.
Initiated by Lentle Performance Improvement and Development Consulting, the programme would offer a 12-month learnership national certificate on community water, health and sanitation monitoring.
Lentle entered into an agreement with the Energy and Water Sector Education and Training Authority, which funds the programme, to empower local unemployed youth to learn about and get experience in water quality assurance.
Both parties would collaborate in offering learnerships in water and wastewater treatment for unemployed learners.
Part of the learnership would focus on water and wastewater treatment through recognition of prior learning towards full qualifications for the employed learners.
Ndzwanana said: “The importance of this programme is to bridge the gap between the community and the municipality to bring services of clean water to the people of Hammanskraal.”
He said the programme was aimed at making people understand the importance of clean water in their lives.
“And remember that clean water is a basic need for the people. These trainees (for the programme) are meant to give back to the community after they have finished their training to ensure that the City does have clean water,” he said.
For years, the township has been plagued with dirty water being supplied to locals.
The problem was attributed to the lack of capacity of the Rooiwal plant to purify wastewater, resulting in the sludge being discharged into the Apies River.
The Apies River, in turn, supplied water to the Temba water treatment plant, used for purifying water for the Hammanskraal residents.
Last year, more than 20 people died in Hammanskraal, in the wake of a cholera outbreak, and after consuming water from the taps.
In October last year, the City signed a memorandum of understanding with the Danish city of Aarhus with the aim of assisting the metro with the technical expertise to improve the management of water, especially in the Rooiwal wastewater treatment plant.
The plant is currently under investigation by the Special Investigating Unit for allegations of maladministration and corruption in the R295 million tender into the upgrading of Rooiwal plant.
The tender for Phase 1 construction was awarded in October 2019 to a joint venture of CMS Water Projects and NJR Projects, linked to a controversial businessman, Edwin Sodi.
Pretoria News