State taps young people’s potential
AS A COMMISSION of inquiry is forging ahead regarding the feasibility of a fee-free higher education, the War on Leaks programme is already making significant strides to accommodate some of the students who would otherwise have required study funds.
The programme is aimed at curbing water losses incurred through leaking taps and deals with both the conservation of water resources and an intractable lack of skills.
By its very nature, it reduces the number of youths who seek skills but are unable to get them because they can’t afford university fees.
The second phase of the programme, with its intake of 7 000 youths, is set to partly deal with a skills shortage as these young people are now being trained as water agents, plumbers and artisans.
However, the programme should not be seen as a panacea but as one way by which the government is alleviating the challenges of access to skills.
The government’s efforts, through the Department of Water and Sanitation, for dealing with the twin challenges of water losses and youth access to skills are set to drag the country out of these serious problems.
Being sensitive to the untapped potential of young people in the community, the department is assisting the youth to improve their self-esteem, pushing to integrate them into the mainstream economy.
But the youth should meet the government halfway by taking opportunities like this with both hands.
The youth who make the cut to programmes like these should be willing to put in extra effort for both their personal development and that of their communities.
It warms one’s heart to learn that there are many youths in different sectors who are now successful in their chosen career paths.
The programme was launched in Port Elizabeth and has produced 3 000 trained youths.
In a practical way, the training is a ray of hope to many young people, especially those in the townships.
The youths who are trained by the War on Leaks programme will be able to branch out on their own, starting their own businesses as a result of the skills they have acquired in the programme.
By building the capacity of our young people, the department is giving effect to their interests, providing them with the space to thrive as individual members of our society.
Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation Pamela Tshwete reiterated in a recent workshop: “Students must understand the bigger picture of the programme and provinces need to create an awareness around the objective behind the initiative to make them understand that the programme cannot absorb all of them.”
She said: “We need to own every aspect of the programme to drastically reduce unemployment and end water losses.”
Our water losses through leaking taps and illegal connections cost the country a hefty price tag of more than R7 billion.
The approach espoused by this programme places the Department of Water and Sanitation on the right trajectory to notch up sterling results in the future.
The loss of water in a country like ours, which is currently facing a persistent drought, is increasingly becoming an issue that can place communities in a serious conundrum with the potential to spark conflicts over water resources.
Given our dire water situation and a lack of skills for our youth, the programme’s second intake of youths indicates that we are well on our way.
In the wake of massive water losses and youth unemployment, this is not merely a symbolic gesture on the part of the government.
Although the programme is not a panacea to solve all our problems, it is definitely a sterling effort that is responding to the call to invest in the training of the youth. Gauteng acting regional head, Department of Water and Sanitation
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