December 5, 2006
By Tammy O'Reilly
ON a whirlwind 24-hour official visit to South Africa, French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin spent some time in Soweto, viewing the progress of the Gcin'amanzi project and touring the Walter Sisulu Square of Dedication in Kliptown.
A delegation, which included the French ambassador, Denis Pietton; the South African ambassador to Paris, Sibandi Thusi; senior executives from the City and a large media contingent, visited the township on Friday, 1 December.
The City of Johannesburg has close ties with a number of French departments, agencies, financial institutions and companies in the fields of social and economic development.
In February this year Operation Gcin'amanzi received a R320-million loan from France's Agence Francaise de Developpement to continue installing prepaid water meters in Soweto.
First on the agenda was a brief stop in Protea at one of the sites where the project is being implemented.
"What you will see here today is the practical results of the co-operation between France and Johannesburg," said Councillor Ros Greeff, the member of the mayoral committee for infrastructure and services.
Steven Sack,director of arts culture and heritage services explains the significance of the flame to the French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin
(Photo: City of Johannesburg)
"These projects are the tangible proof of the very productive relationships between our two countries and the people you will meet during your visit here are the direct beneficiaries of these programmes."
Some of the water infrastructure in Soweto dates back almost a century and the City identified it as a priority to provide residents with a safe, reliable and inexpensive supply of water.
Operation Gcin'amanzi was launched in October 2003 as a R450-million project to upgrade Soweto's water infrastructure and to reduce the loss of vast volumes of water. More than seven billion litres of water were lost every month, costing the City at least R20-million a month.
The project has been a significant success so far. It has already created about 1 600 jobs in Soweto, reduced the average water bill for a household by R100 and created about R26-million worth of business related to Johannesburg Water's operations in Soweto.
The next stop was the Walter Sisulu Square of Dedication in Kliptown where De Villepen spoke to traders and lit the Flame of Freedom on the square.
More than half a century ago, on 26 June 1955, representatives from across the spectrum of South African society met here at Kliptown to declare their opposition to apartheid and to commit themselves to work towards the formation of a free and democratic society.
The Johannesburg mayoral committee took a decision in November 2004 to approve Kliptown for the launch of a pilot project known as the Prototype Housing Programme. This includes a community rental initiative, housing development that will accommodate all income groups and significant investment in infrastructure.
"The government and the people of France have been valuable partners in this and other socio-economic developments in Johannesburg. For this project you have committed more than 305 000 euros (nearly R3-million)," Greeff said.
"We want to thank you for your visit to South Africa and your continued interest in the projects sponsored by the French government and other development agencies."
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