ROGRAMME DIRECTOR,
BANTFWABENKHOSI,
BABE CHIEF,
REGIONAL ADMINISTRATOR,
HONOURABLE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE MEMBERS OF BOTH HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT,
HONOURABLE MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT FOR KUKHANYENI INKHUNDLA,
INDVUNA YENKHUNDLA,
WATER AND SANITATION COMMITTEE MEMBERS,
MEMBERS OF THE MEDIA HOUSES,
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN.

I AM GREATLY HONOURED TO HAVE BEEN INVITED TO THIS AUSPICIOUS OCCASION TO OFFICIALLY OPEN THE NYAKENI POTABLE WATER SUPPLY AND SANITATION SCHEME. THIS IS INDEED A HISTORICAL EVENT WHEREIN IN ALL BOREHOLE DRILLING THAT MY MINISTRY HAS EVER UNDERTAKEN AROUND THE KINGDOM THIS IS THE FIRST BOREHOLE TO EXHIBIT THE HIGHEST YIELD OF 20 LITRES PER SECOND. THIS COMMUNITY IS BY ALL MEANS VERY FORTUNATE AS THIS WATER SOURCE WILL BE SUFFICIENT ENOUGH TO CATER FOR THE LIVELIHOOD OF THE NYAKENI COMMUNITY FOR GENERATIONS TO COME.

THIS SCHEME IS ONE OF THE LARGEST CONSTRUCTED BY MY MINISTRY WHICH WILL BE SERVING A POPULATION OF ABOUT SEVEN THOUSAND FOUR HUNDRED AND FIFTY (7, 450) PEOPLE INCLUDING THREE (3) SCHOOLS. THE TOTAL DISTRIBUTION NETWORK IS ABOUT SIXTY (60) KILOMETRES WITH ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY EIGHT (148) STANDPIPES SUPPLIED FROM FOUR (4) X 120 CUBIC METRE RESERVOIRS (480,000 LITRES).

CONSTRUCTION OF THIS WATER SUPPLY SCHEME WAS STARTED IN 2006 BY THE DEPARTMENT OF WATER AFFAIRS AND WAS COMPLETED IN 2012. THE DELAY IN COMPLETING THIS SCHEME WAS CAUSED BY THE NEED TO REALIGN ABOUT 1.2 KILOMETRES OF THE PUMPING MAINLINE. A SECTION OF THE ORIGINAL ROUTE DEVELOPED A MAJOR DONGA THAT WAS IMPASSIBLE.

I WOULD LIKE TO THANK THIS COMMUNITY FOR THEIR PERSISTANT PERSEVERANCE WHICH LED TO THE COMPLETION OF THIS SCHEME.

THE SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF THIS SCHEME THROUGH THE COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION SHOWS THAT THIS COMMUNITY IS COMMITTED TOWARDS THE SUSTAINABILITY OF THIS PROJECT. THIS IS FURTHER CONFIRMED BY THE FACT THAT THE COMMUNITY HAS ALREADY CONTRIBUTED OVER FIFTEEN THOUSAND (>E15,000.00) EMALANGENI TOWARDS THE OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE OF THIS SCHEME. IF THE COMMUNITY MEETS ANY PROBLEMS THAT THEY CANNOT DEAL WITH, THEY MUST NOT HESITATE TO CALL MY MINISTRY’S OFFICIALS FROM THE RURAL WATER BRANCH AND IN PARTICULAR THE MATSAPHA DEPOT OF THE DEPARTMENT OF WATER AFFAIRS (RURAL WATER SUPPLY) FOR ASSISTANCE. ANOTHER POINT WORTH NOTING IS THAT THIS COMMUNITY MANAGED TO ACHIEVE 98% SANITATION COVERAGE WITH THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH’S ASSISTANCE AND GUIDANCE. THIS IS A VERY GOOD ACHIEVEMENT AND COMMENDABLE JOB INDEED.

NOTWITHSTANDING THE ABOVE, I WOULD LIKE TO STRONGLY URGE THE COMMUNITY TO MANAGE THIS WATER SUPPLY SCHEME AND ITS OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE FUND PRUDENTLY. I FURTHER IMPLORE THE COMMUNITY TO RESPECT, COOPERATE WITH AND ASSIST THE COMMITTEE WHICH IT ELECTED WHENEVER THE COMMUNITY’S PARTICIPATION IN OPERATION AND/OR MAINTENANCE IS REQUIRED. THIS IS THE ONLY WAY THE SCHEME CAN LAST LONGER. CONSIDERING THE SIZE OF THE SCHEME, THE COMMUNITY IS ALSO URGED TO CONTRIBUTE TOWARDS THE OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE FUND AS AND WHEN CALLED UPON TO DO SO BY THE COMMITTEE.

FUNDING FOR THIS WATER SUPPLY SCHEME CAME FROM HIS MAJESTY’S TINKHUNDLA SYSTEM BASED GOVERNMENT. THE TOTAL COST FOR THIS SCHEME WAS ABOUT SIX MILLION NINE HUNDRED THOUSAND EMALANGENI (E6, 900.000-00) ONLY.

IT IS HIS MAJESTY’S GOVERNMENT’S GOAL TO MEET THE MILLENIUM DEVELOPMENT GOAL (MDG) NUMBER 7 BY 2015 AND THE NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY (NDS) TARGET OF WATER FOR ALL BY 2022. HIS MAJESTY’S GOVERNMENT HAS MADE IT HER PRIORITY TO PROVIDE WATER FOR ALL BY 2022.

TO ACHIEVE THE ABOVE MENTIONED GOALS THE COUNTRY NEEDS SIGNIFICANT FINANCIAL RESOURCES. THIS GOVERNMENT HAS SHOWN ITS COMMITMENT TOWARDS PROVISION OF POTABLE WATER TO RURAL COMMUNITIES IN SPITE OF THE CHALLENGING FINANCIAL SITUATION THAT THE COUNTRY HAS BEEN FACING. THE MINISTRY HAS BEEN ABLE EVEN THROUGH THESE DIFFICULT TIMES TO PROVIDE ABOUT 70% OF THE COUNTRY’S RURAL POPULATION WITH POTABLE WATER TO DATE.

I WOULD LIKE TO REQUEST BANTFWABENKHOSI, BABE CHIEF AND THE INKHUNDLA TO ENCOURAGE THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO LOOK AFTER THIS WATER SUPPLY SCHEME SO THAT IT CAN BENEFIT FUTURE GENERATIONS TO COME.

FINALLY, I WOULD LIKE TO THANK ALL THOSE WHO MADE THE PREPARATIONS FOR THIS OCCASION AND THOSE WHO PARTICIPATED IN ALL THE MAGNIFICENT ACTIVITIES THAT WE HAVE JUST WITNESSED THUS MAKING IT THE MEMORABLE AND SUCCESSFUL EVENT THAT IT HAS BEEN.

WITH THESE FEW REMARKS, IT IS MY HONOUR AND PLEASURE TO DECLARE THE NYAKENI WATER SUPPLY SCHEME OFFICIALLY OPENED.

MAY GOD BLESS US ALL.