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Industry matters
We live in interesting times!
To write anything about the political situation in our country in the
first week of April for this issue would be a waste of your time.
By Rory Macnamara
Such is the fluidity of our situation. However, the
focus should not be on one person, but a group in
Cabinet who has missed the chop this time round
and who should be hanging their heads in shame.
One is our minister of water and sanitation whose
contribution in-between heading the ANC election
campaign and singing the virtues and values of our
president when many in the country are questioning
his virtues and values, is downright insulting.
Nevertheless, let us dwell on something that was not her
creation but sits with her implementation: the National
Water Resources Strategy 2 (NWRS 2), of which we are
publishing extracts from in this publication. The reason
for this is that in this large document exist references to
plumbing and in this issue, the vexing matter of qualified
plumbers and water services people. The recognition of
qualified people working in water is long overdue and
has been paid lip service to by the department for several
years. The last minister to recognise the plumber publicly
was Ronnie Kasrils.
The fact that we are still not receiving answers to our
pertinent questions remains a concern; we must be
encouraged by the NWRS 2 that makes many issues
matter for ministers long after the current one leaves.
Herein lies the rub: it is not for government necessarily to
make this all work, but for official bodies to latch onto the
critical sections and hammer away at it until something
happens. For too long this industry has complained about
unqualified plumbers and this is the reason why the
May 2017 Volume 23 I Number 3
qualified ones must cut prices to stay in business. What
business? What prices? What a weak excuse!
The NWRS 2 also refers to curbing corruption. Here
again, when we come across such activities do we report
it or do we just go with the flow?
Associates, we need to grasp these aspects of such
documents that affect us and make them work for us
and for our industry. We need to recognise the pride we
have in our industry. We must do it when government
provides such tools and that is exactly why Plumbing
Africa publishes extracts of critical documents.
In closing and considering the fluidity of politics now,
we as a media company will continue to draw attention
to these issues through our online platform newsletters
(www.waterafrica.co.za) and publications, as this is our
responsibility. As I write, the ANC’s Integrity Committee
is delivering a letter to the secretary general, asking for
President Jacob Zuma to step down! In a month’s time
… who knows?
We need to grasp
these aspects of such
documents that affect
us and make them
work for us.
www.plumbingafrica.co.za