Corporate Social Responsibility
Vaal Central Water’s core mandate of bulk water supply also contributes towards two National Imperatives of poverty eradication and employment creation. CSR has also become a constitutive element of the Entity’s contribution to these National Imperatives by augmenting its efforts through the activities it carried out during the year under review. While some activities were meant to combat COVID-19 as detailed hereunder, they also resulted in answering the needs of the poverty eradication and employment creation as well.
In giving back to the Society, the Entity also forges partnerships and collaborations with other Entities including Business Sector and Communities in its areas of service. These interactions make Vaal Central Water accessible, conscious of the Communities’ plight and a participative partner in the resolution of the economic perils prevailing in both the Public and Private Sectors.
Installation of JoJo tanks
The initiative of supplying JOJO tanks to the Communities was a mandate from the Ministry of Water and Sanitation. The purpose of the project was to assist the Communities with access to water to ensure frequent handwashing and serves as barriers to human-to-human transmission of the COVID-19 virus in homes, Communities, health care facilities, schools and other public spaces to prevent the spread of the virus.
Vaal Central Water was therefore appointed by the Department as Implementing Agent for the COVID-19 projects. Phase 1 of the project covered the construction of JoJo tank stands in Municipalities in the Province during the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 to follow health and hygiene protocol. Phase 2 comprises the connection to the current reticulation system to fill the water tanks.
Jean Webber Home for People living with Disabilities
Jean Webber Home hosts people with disabilities in the Province. Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the financial situation of the Home has worsened over the past 2 years and is faced with many challenges. As a result of the pandemic many donors withdrew their support through sponsorships. This has had a negative impact on the operations of the Home. Upon receiving a request from the Home, Bloem Water initiated its toiletries campaign to support the people living with disabilities as part of Corporate Social Responsibilities. The Jean Webber Home is managed by the Free State Association of and for Persons with disabilities.
Many of the people in the Home have limited hand function, but with assistive devices they can manage to perform certain tasks. The services further include health and rehabilitation services and laundry service. Below is the handover of toiletries to Jean Webber that were donated by Vaal Central Water.
Rainwater Harvesting Programme
The Vaal Central Water Rain Harvesting initiative is a programme aimed at fostering sustainable water usage and conservation within its supply areas as part of the Water Conservation and Water Demand Management Strategy. Through the provision of Jojo Tanks for rainwater storage, Hippo Rollers for efficient water transportation, and comprehensive support services including transport, installation, and community engagement, the initiative seeks to empower communities, enhance water security, and promote environmental stewardship.
Rainwater Harvesting Programme
Faced with the dual challenges of increasing water demand and the impacts of climate change, the Entity initiated a program to encourage the adoption of rainwater harvesting across a wide range of beneficiaries. This initiative is particularly focused on providing support to not only households and farmers but also to institutions that serve vulnerable populations, including the disabled, young children, and the elderly.
A key element of this initiative is the provision of Jojo Tanks, which are instrumental in capturing and storing rainwater for a variety of non-potable applications, including irrigation, cleaning, and livestock needs. These tanks are offered in several capacities to cater to the diverse requirements of households, community facilities, and farmers.
The Entity will continue with this initiative to educate and encourage rainwater harvesting in line with Water Conservation and Water Demand Management Strategy and sustainable water services provision. Through this Programme, communities will learn how to collect, store and use water for water conservation. The Entity implemented a few initiatives in the previous financial year which includes the launch of the Rainwater Harvesting Programme by providing Jojo tanks to eighty-five (85) beneficiaries identified from various community groups.
Hippo Rollers for Efficient Water Transportation
In addition to the Jojo Tanks, the initiative includes the distribution of Hippo Rollers, an innovative tool designed to improve the efficiency and ease of transporting water, especially in rural areas where access to water sources can be challenging. The Hippo Roller is a barrel-shaped container that can hold up to 90 litres of water and is rolled on the ground with a handle. This significantly reduces the physical burden of fetching water and increases the amount of water that can be transported in a single trip, thereby enhancing water accessibility for daily use.
Community Engagement and Support
Vaal Central Water is actively engaging with communities to ensure the successful implementation of this initiative. This includes educational programs on rainwater harvesting techniques and the importance of water conservation. The utility is also providing technical support for the installation of Jojo Tanks.
Support to non-profit organisations
The Entity in consultation with government departments implement initiatives aimed at improving the livelihood of Communities in the service areas. Below are the homes identified in partnership with the Department of Social Development to support non-profit organisation that the Department cannot reach with its programmes. The initiative assist and provide support to homes for safety and care of the orphans, people living with disabilities as well as the elderly.
- Ka Mohau Children’s Shelter
- Papallong Children’s Care Home
- Tshepong Children’s Care Home
- Aganang Maqheku Old Age Home
- Jean Webber facility for persons with severe disabilities
The Entity conduct assessment of the facilities and engage management for other needs which will differ from one home to the other. Other support services will include but not limited to:
- Child Care and nutrition
- Hygiene services
- Minor facilities repairs
- Water related repairs
UPGRADES AND RENOVATIONS AT KA MOHAU CHILDREN HOME
Through the Department of Social Development, the Entity identified the Ka Mohau Children Home as a beneficiary of its CSI programme. The Center was established in 2012 and is registered with the Department of Social Development. It is situated in an impoverished area in the southeastern parts of Bloemfontein, in Phase 6. The Centre provides temporary and permanent shelter to abandoned and orphaned children and youth.
The Centre is monitored by two social workers assigned by the Department of Social Development. This is to ensure that children are placed in a safe environment and that they are given adequate care.
On assessment, the Centre was found to be in an unfavourable state. The condition of the fence posed a security concern for the children. The Centre required urgent major repairs and renovations both inside and outside the house, to allow for safe shelter of the children and youth placed there especially the wheelchair bound children.
The Entity through its Corporate Social Investment intervened, and major repairs and renovations were done. These included plumbing, electrical work, fixing the roof and installing a new ceiling. The old fence was removed and replaced with a more secure wall and gate. To make the outside area safe for the wheelchair bound children it was levelled and paved.
Vaal Central Water’s intervention has gone a long way to ensure that vulnerable children would stay in a habitable, safe and warm home further restoring their dignity.
Before repairs and renovations
After repairs and renovations
Commemoration of Disability Month and World Toilet Day CSI
The month of November provided the Entity opportunities to give back to the community whilst raising awareness and commemorating special days.
November marks Disability Rights Awareness Month in South Africa. The theme last year was “Consolidate and Accelerate Rights of Persons with Disabilities into the Future”. The month calls on every citizen and organization to join hands and create awareness of the plight of people with disabilities. The call is also for organizations to create an environment that not only withholds rights of people with disabilities but creates opportunities for people with disabilities to be active members of the community.
The other important day commemorated in November is World Toilet Day. The day highlights the sanitation crisis affecting 3.5 billion people in the world without safe toilets. Of the people affected children are the most hit. This global crisis poses a threat to nature and health, particularly the vulnerable groups among which are children and people with disabilities. The Theme for 2023 was “Accelerating Change” and called everyone to do something no matter how small to tackle the sanitation crisis.
The Department of Water and Sanitation helped identify schools that would benefit from the CSI initiative. Two schools in Bloemfontein were identified: Tebelelo Primary School and Pholoho Special School. Pholoho is a special school for children with disabilities. Assisting the school allowed the Entity to contribute to consolidating and accelerating the rights of people with disabilities in the future. Equipping learners with tools would allow them to actively participate in the care of their vegetable garden and maintain their toilets clean. Upon assessing the schools’ needs, the following were donated:
2 Jojo tank installations were done at Tebelelo Primary School. Both schools received garden implements, vegetable seeds, a net for their vegetable gardens. As part of World Toilet Day, the schools were donated toilet cleaning detergents and disinfectants as well as bulk toilet paper.
The Entity also used this CSI to create awareness on Disability Rights, World Toilet Day as well as water saving.
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WATER MONTH COMMEMORATION AT MAMELLANG THUTO SECONDARY SCHOOL CSI
In accordance with the focus areas for the 2023/2024 CSI programme, the Entity celebrated Water Month on March 20, 2024, at Mamellang Thuto Secondary School in Kgotsong, Bothaville.
March is recognised as Water Month, with World Water Day held on March 22nd each year. The Day aims to draw attention to the worldwide water problem, increase awareness of the 2.2 billion people who do not have access to safe water, and inspire nations to take long-term action to ensure that everyone in the world has access to safe water by 2030.
This year’s theme is: ‘Leveraging Water for Peace’, the World Water Day encourages communities and countries to use water as a tool for peace, when cooperating on shared water resources.
Stakeholders namely, the Department of Water and Sanitation, Department of Small Business Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (DESTEA), Nala Local Municipality and Free State Sun Newspaper joined the Entity in commemorating this day with an awareness session, CSI donations and a river cleaning campaign.
It is essential that the entity give back in ways other than donations, such as imparting knowledge to its beneficiaries that will protect natural water resources and raise awareness about career opportunities in the water sector to develop future water sector experts. The Entity and its stakeholders presented information to students in grades 10 through 12 on issues such as water conservation and management, water and the environment, law, water-saving techniques, and potential professions in the water sector. Bursaries, competitions, and opportunities were also discussed.
As part of the CSI, the Entity donated a Jojo tank, PPE for the river cleanup, garden implements and seeds for their vegetable garden.
As part of the Entity’s efforts to promote river health, learners participated in a river cleaning exercise on the Vaal River in Bothaville. The goal of river cleaning is to promote responsible citizenship and include everyone in promoting healthy rivers and streams. It encourages community members to take a proactive approach to protecting rivers and other water habitats. The need for water security, especially in light of global climate change and a number of anthropogenic impacts on rivers, necessitates a national and united approach to protecting our rivers, wetlands, and larger catchments.
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VAAL CENTRAL WATER CELEBRATES WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY 2024 CSI
World Environment Day is celebrated every year on the 5th of June and aims at raising awareness and celebrating environmental action.
This year the Day was celebrated by raising awareness on the protection and revival of ecosystems under the theme “Land restoration, desertification and drought resilience.” The slogan adopted for 2024 is “Our land. Our future. We are #GenerationRestoration.”
Vaal Central Water commemorated World Environment Day in partnership with DESTEA, Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality and Central University of Technology with an awareness session and a clean-up at the Bloemspruit River Canal in the City of Bloemfontein. This initiative was also adopted as a CSI programme with non-financial but environmental and social benefits to the community.
The day kicked off with an awareness session coordinated by DESTEA and held at iGYM, CUT. Speakers from Vaal Central Water, DESTEA, Mangaung Metro Municipality and Central University of Technology, Free State (CUT) covered different topics all highlighting the importance of taking care of the environment.
Vaal Central Water’s Environmental Officer, Ms Nokukhanya Gabela, focused on river health and the effects of pollution. River health is key in Vaal Central Water’s mandate of delivering bulk water services. Pollution not only affects humans’ access to clean water but also impacts animals and plants and the ecosystem cannot function without the two groups.
After the awareness session employees, CUT students and EPWP workers moved to the Bloemspruit River Canal situated in the City Centre for a clean-up campaign.
The river canal has a rich history and very key in the protection of the city against natural disasters such floods. The canal was a much smaller spruit until devastating floods that happened in January 1904 that swept away houses and businesses including hotels in the city. Check the below abstract from National Museum Publications titled “The Bloemfontein Flood of 1904”.
“After this, it was quite clear that the spruit would have to undergo drastic changes to prevent a recurrence of the disaster. The necessary land, mostly private property, was expropriated on both sides of Bloemspruit, involving a total of 75 landowners, and from Government House (today the Old Presidency Museum) eastwards, the spruit was straightened and channelled to a depth of between fifteen and twenty feet (4, 5 to 6 m) and a hundred feet wide (about 30 m) – sufficient, it has been determined, to handle twice the volume of water that had just hit the town. The sides of the canal were lined with sandstone blocks, and the old bridges were replaced with new stone structures. By 1907 the canalization of Bloemspruit was completed and today Bloemfontein’s rainwater is still being diverted to the Renosterspruit and eventually the Modder River via the very same Bloemspruit.”
Such a key infrastructure needs to be protected and kept clean. Communities and businesses using the canal areas surrounding it as dumping sites should always be encouraged to stop the practice as their waste ultimately reaches the Modder River.
The Entity donated PPE to all participants and provided transport to the river canal site that was identified for the clean-up. Whilst the clean-up proceeded Vaal Central Water employees conducted an awareness campaign to residents and businesses near the clean-up site. The awareness was on the importance of keeping the canal clean as well as water saving tips.
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