Mohono embarks on massive sanitation awareness

11 May 2010

North West MEC for Human Settlements, Desbo Mohono will, during the National Sanitation and Hygiene Week, embark on a massive campaign aimed at raising awareness on sanitation and to mobilise communities and municipalities to prioritise sanitation.

Under the theme: “Sanitation for health and dignity”, Mohono seeks to use the week (11 to 16 May) to raise the profile of sanitation and to highlight government’s efforts to ensure that our people have access to sanitation.

There will be awareness campaigns across the four districts of the province. The main provincial event will be held on Friday, 14 May 2010 at Ditsobotla Stadium, Boikhutso (Litchtenburg) where MEC Desbo Mohono will be the keynote speaker. The main event is held in the Ngaka
Modiri Molema District Municipality because sanitation still remains a challenge in the area as a result of the continuing mushrooming of informal settlements.

The awareness campaign will be targeting school children in the province as they are regarded as the most vulnerable because of the unhygienic environment most schools find themselves in.

The campaign aims to ensure that all South Africans have access to sanitation and to fast-track service delivery on sanitation infrastructure within municipalities. Government seeks to help restore the dignity of our people through the provision of sanitation.

Accordingly, hygiene and habitable settlements will form part of the focus of advocacy during the campaign week. It is envisaged that the campaign will take the form of door-to-door health and hygiene campaigns, briefing sessions, handover of sanitation projects (VIP toilets) as well as interaction with communities.

Across the world, sanitation is a major challenge. More than 2.4 billion people in the world still have no access to sanitation. The World Health Organisation estimates that 1.8 million people die each year due to diarrheal diseases. South Africa has committed itself to eradicate sanitation backlogs by 2015.

National Sanitation and Hygiene Week will be observed as follows:

Municipality: Dr R S Mompati
Venue: Mamusa L.M Ipelegeng X 5
Date: 14 May 2010
Time: 08h30

Municipality: Bojanala D M
Venue: Rustenburg L M Lesung Village (N4) towards Sun City
Date: 12 May 2010
Time: 08h30

Municipality: Ngaka Modiri Molema (Provincial Event)
Venue: Ditsobotla L M Boikhutso Stadium
Date: 14 May 2010
Time: 08h30

The media is invited to cover the event.

Enquiries:
Cornelius Tanana Monama
Cell: 082 578 4063
Tel: 018 391 0420

Issued by: Department of Human Settlements, North West Provincial Government
11 May 2010