In mid-January this year Department of Water and Sanitation deputy minister Pamela Tshwete launched the Vhembe district municipality unemployed youth skills development project in Thohoyandou, Limpopo.

She noted that after taking office in 2014 there were, “serious challenges in the maintenance of municipal infrastructure in general,” including water treatment plants, sanitation treatment plants and municipal facilities.

She also pointed out the “acute shortages of personnel with the necessary skills to perform the mandated municipal functions.” The department has responded by creating training opportunities for the youth living in Vhembe’s jurisdiction, together with the Department of Public Works and the Vhembe district municipality.

The programme will create specialists in water and sanitation technicians, artisans, plumbers, metre readers, blue drop and green drop managers, community facilitators, water resource managers and security personnel, planners and installers of smart water and sanitation infrastructure.

“This is the kind of project that will be rolled out throughout the country to ensure that we adequately provide for the most needed skills in the administration and governance of our municipalities,” Tshwete commented. Quality of work performed will be regulated through municipal service level agreements.

This programme is based on the provisions of the Freedom Charter, the Millennium Development Goals, the National Development Plan, the National Youth Skills Programme, the Youth Policy Implementation Plan, AMCOW Youth Development Strategy. Organisations involved include the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA), South African Local Government Association (SALGA), Stats SA, National Youth Skills Development Programme (NYSDP) and RubbyTadt.