Water as a key to socio-economic development and poverty eradication in North-West Province, as projected for the entire South Africa

Abstract

President Thabo Mbeki stated in his inaugural speech of 27 April 2004 that in our land of gold and diamonds the one which is
born poor must not die poor by decree. The purpose of our lives is not just the accumulation of wealth. He made us aware of our
higher purpose of life. The challenge of this paper is to propose possible solutions for eradication of that poverty in an institutional,
systematic and sustainable manner through a basic/essential commodity of life: “WATER”. With the following Founding
Principle: “To find a practical institutional arrangement to address the provision of adequate, affordable, and reliable supply of
water to be made available for water services, particularly for poor rural and peri-urban settlements, as well as water for local economic development (LED) of the previously disadvantaged rural areas of South Africa (possibly through cross-subsidisation,
loans and leveraging funding for water services infrastructure in rural areas)” “ …viewing mankind as one entity” we must “subordinate every particular interest, be it personal, regional or national, to the over-riding interests of the generality of mankind, knowing full well that in a world of interdependent peoples and nations the advantage of the part is best to be reached by the advantage of the whole, and that no lasting result can be achieved by any of the component parts if the general interests of the entity itself are neglected …” (Shoghi Effendi, The Promised Day is Come, p.vi).

Water SA Vol. 30 (5) 2005: pp.681-684