Since 2007, when people suddenly realised that we have reached the half-way mark for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), there has much discussion about whether the government will be able to meet the targets in this regard. As 2008 has been assigned as the International Year of Sanitation, it is prudent that we ask what is being done by government and civil society, in particular the Mvula Trust to meet the MDGs for water and sanitation.

Speaking at the Second AfricaSan Conference on Sanitation and Hygiene, held in Durban from 18-21 February 2008, Water Affairs and Forestry Minister, Lindiwe Hendricks, stated that South Africa has almost met the MDG of halving the number of people who do not have proper sanitation.

In February 2005, the South African government committed itself to eradicating the bucket system, which was being used by 252 254 households in formal established areas at that time.

Although Minister Hendricks acknowledged that not all the buckets were removed by 2007, she went on to say that, “We came very close and should see those that do remain removed in the next few weeks.”
Partnership with Key Stakeholders

The government has been able to meet this particular MDG because of its strong partnership with NGOs working in this field.

One such partner is the Mvula Trust, the largest water and sanitation NGO in South Africa and one that works tirelessly to ensure that South Africa does indeed meet the MDG for water and sanitation by 2015.

The Mvula Trust was established in 1993 to improve water supplies and sanitation for disadvantaged South Africans living in rural and peri-urban communities. It has met its mandate in the past 15 years by working to meet marginalised people’s need for clean water and sanitation on a sustainable basis.

Since inception, it has supported the development of good practice in the water and sanitation sector by testing and advocating sustainable models for cost effective delivery and management. Mvula Trust Executive Director, Andile Mahlalutye, notes his organisation has played a very important role in assisting government to achieve its goals, in particular the MDG for water and sanitation. He states that, “By 2010, all people’s needs for water and sanitation would have been met.”

However, he also notes that before this time actually arrives, “There is a lot that still has to be done for implementation to take place.”

Overcoming the Sector’s Challenges
Unlike most NGOs, Mvula Trust does not rely on donors for funds as it generates its own sources of income. Mahlalutye states that, “We fund ourselves through our work.”

In 2005, when Mvula Trust was faced with a number of financial challenges, the organisation made a very drastic move and entered the tendering game. It has devoted staff members whose job it is to search for, and secure tender opportunities that may be beneficial to the organisation and rural communities. 

Once the organisation has secured various tenders, it builds the structures as required by the tender. But most importantly, it achieves this by working with the people on the ground. It mobilises and empowers them to ensure that when they have finished what they have been contracted to do there are still people equipped to carry on with the maintenance of the project.

Community-Based Approach
Although Mvula Trust operates from a national office in Johannesburg, the organisation has seven regional offices in North West, Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape. With a staff contingency of 80, Mahlalutye acknowledges that his organisation would not be able to have the type of reach that it currently enjoys if it did not work as closely as it does with community projects and community-based organisations (CBOs).

Mvula Trust provides funds for water and sanitation projects working to alleviate the plight of rural people in South Africa. The organisation works closely with CBOs working in the remotest parts of the country. It provides funds to projects and CBOs that assist communities in taking a lead role in mobilising, planning, designing, constructing and maintaining water supply and sanitation facilities.

However, Mvula Trust’s ability to fund small communities’ initiatives must not fool one into thinking that the organisation has it easer than other NGOs when it comes to generating funds.

Last year, Mvula Trust made ends meet with a budget of R150 million.

Into the Future
Due to the fact that Mahlalutye eagerly anticipates the arrival of 2010, when water and sanitation needs would have been met, he argues that Mvula Trust has to diversify its strategy very quickly.

The organisation must no longer focus mainly on water and sanitation, but should broaden its focus to encompass any issues that pertain to rural people in South Africa. He highlights the construction and maintenance of roads in rural areas as one such area that the organisation may seriously consider for future action.

For him, there is no question of whether the government will be able to meet the MDG for water and sanitation by the designated date. Mahlalutye is very optimistic that, “They (government) are on their way to meeting those targets.”