To ensure water services are prioritised in the Free State, a Provincial Joint Tactical Committee (PJTC) has been established with representatives from the department of Water and Sanitation, Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, the South African Local Government Association, water boards and water use associations.
The establishment of the PJTC is a result of many competing needs for water from a multitude of users in the province. Therefore, effective water resource management requires the involvement of all three spheres of government, water entities and civil society.
This is to fulfil the vision outlined by Water and Sanitation Minister Gugile Nkwinti during his maiden Budget Vote Speech, where he expressed his desire for a sector that provides the opportunity to do things better and differently.
Top of the agenda for the PJTC will be to focus on the progress of performance targets in the provincial business plan for the sufficient provision of water.
The PJTC will also look into critical issues such as operations and maintenance of existing water and sanitation resources, as well as the prevention of vandalism of these resources.
In addition, the PJTC will ensure that the water sector is supported in an economic, proactive, collaborative, effective and efficient manner and that the intervention support is coordinated and done cooperatively.
“The vision is to ensure that all the role-players play a significant role in ensuring that water is valued as a social, economic and ecological good and that water governance promotes collaboration, coordination and integration of efforts to achieve a balanced response towards the different water requirements,” said Water and Sanitation provincial head Dr Tseliso Ntili.
He emphasised that an adequate governance structure is critical to coordinate and synchronise the implementation of departmental actions, projects and programmes at a provincial level.