Issued by: Ministry in the Office of the President
SPEECH TO BE GIVEN BY MINISTER JAY NAIDOO AT THE DR KNAK PRIMARY SCHOOL, ALEXANDRA ON WORLD WATER DAY, FRIDAY MARCH 22, 1996
Today is World Water Day and I have come here to your school to tell you about what the government is doing to ensure that there is enough water in the future not only for your parents and you as our children, but also for our factories and farmers.
Despite the good rains we have had over the past few months, experts say that in the long-term, water is scarce and so saving water is very important, not only for government, but also for each and every one of us.
Our country is very short of water and every drop must be made to count! We should be learning to use water wisely.
If we throw rubbish into our rivers, we reduce the amount of clean water available. We must work hard to clean up the Jukskei river which runs through Alex.
If we leave taps dripping, we take away drinking water from other people. We must not waste water in any way.
So what can you do? Every day, you can think about ways you use water and ways you can save it. For example, switching off the tap while you brush you teeth, or flushing the toilet less often or putting the plug in the sink or bath and using the water more than once.
The 2020 Vision of Water in South Africa is also running a competition to find the school in South Africa which can put on the best "Celebration of Water" activities.
The winning school will get a prize of R5 000 worth of conservation related materials. I challenge you to be the school that wins the prize.
I want to hear from you about what you are doing and how you are progressing with your goal to learn more about saving water and how you are making a difference in this area.
To remind you of my challenge and of the importance of saving water, I have brought you a poster showing the cycle of water use and how it is wasted.
I hope that you will take this programme seriously and work toward making water conservation a way of life for everyone in this area.
I want each of you to be an organiser. Talk to your parents, your brothers and your sisters. Talk to students in other schools.
Let us build a better Alexandra. An Alexandra that we can be proud of, one that is clean and healthy, with trees and which is safe for all. Where everyone has clean water, in their homes, in the schools and in the clinics.
I am depending on you all.