YWP

Meet some of YWP’s water change-makers

We would like to introduce you to a few young professionals contributing to the present and future needs of the water sector in South Africa.

NKOSINATHI BUTHELEZI

Nkosinathi grew up in rural KwaZulu-Natal and has been an active professional in the water sector since 2012. He holds a chemical engineering degree, an honours degree in water utilisation, and a master’s degree in commerce and leadership studies. Nkosinathi has worked for eThekwini Municipality, where he started his career in the R&D Department, as well as Mhlathuze Water Board, working as an engineer. He is currently employed by the Department of Water and Sanitation as a chief engineer and area manager for the Tugela Vaal Government Water Scheme. He is a registered professional with the Engineering Council of South Africa and a project management professional with the Professional Management Institute. Goals: To work towards ensuring that more and more of our rural communities get access to water for various uses – especially agricultural and domestic uses. This is particularly important to him as he grew up in the same environment. Working to make sure that water benefits our most vulnerable communities is a huge motivation for Nkosinathi.

Message to young

professionals: “The ball is in our court. Young professionals need to be professionally active in our societies in order to make a meaningful impact on the socio-economic landscape of this country. I believe there is scope and opportunity for young professionals to play a more direct role in the betterment of our communities.” Mbali hails from the south of Durban where she grew up and went to school. She is an employee of Umgeni Water and has 10 years’ experience in the water sector. With a BTech Chemical Engineering (Environment), Mbali was selected in a group of 20 women to be part of an Executive Development Programme: Women in Leadership at Wits University. She is a mother to four children and an active young water professional, where she now serves as the YWP-ZA Transformation Lead. Mbali is a member of the WISA Process Controllers Division, where she advocates for the transformation of water treatment processes and inclusivity of process controllers in the sector. Mbali has presented her work at international and national conferences in the sector, is a member of the Water Youth network, as well as the Women in Water and Sanitation Network. She is an advocate for women rights and the SDG 6 agenda. Goals: To play an active role in ensuring water for all by 2030. To be impactful in society in encouraging and inspiring youth involvement in a transformed South Africa in governance, ethics and sustainable life for all. Message to young professionals: “This year marks 45 years since the 1976 student uprising in Soweto. A significant year of transformation change and great challenge to leadership in our country. We must challenge ourselves to be transformational and impactful leaders in all spheres of our world. Let us be beacons of hope and life in our communities and form progress partnerships that will enable us to be instrumental in growing youth employment for an inclusive and transformed society. As the struggle for equal education was the battle that the youth of 1976 had to fight for an die, let us continue the struggle for economic emancipation in their honour.”

MBALI SIBAYA

ODWA NTSIKA MTEMBU

Born and raised in rural Eastern Cape, Odwa is a climate change activist, social entrepreneur and a young professional practising in the field of climate, water and applied geomorphology. He has obtained a BSc Hons Environmental and Geographical Science and BSc Geology, Environmental and Geographical Science. Odwa is passionate about working towards inclusive and innovative sustainable solutions to build smart and self-sustainable cities. He is the founder of World Merit SA and, through his volunteer work in this platform, has managed to link community development and connect young people to opportunities from around the world. Odwa is a registered scientist with SACNASP and is employed by the Department of Water and Sanitation. Goals: His passion and purpose are rooted in his ethical duty to serve his community.

Message to young professionals:

“Young professionals in the sector have the skills, experience and knowledge to tackle local to global issues and connect everyone to opportunities through our networks with the resources we have in our communities and organisations. As we continue to lead, research, innovate, implement, monitor and evaluate our work in the sector, let us not forget to ensure transformation, transparency, progress, accountability and sustainability.”

DR LLOYD FISHER-JEFFES

Dr Lloyd Fisher-Jeffes is a graduate from the University of Cape Town and currently working as a registered, professional civil engineer with a specific interest in the design, management and planning of water resources. A member of WISA, South African Institution of Civil Engineers (SAICE) and International Water Association (IWA), Lloyd is a co-winner of the CESA Young Engineer Award in 2020. Goals: To play a role in developing and improving the practice of sustainable urban engineering, with a specific focus on the management of water resources in Southern Africa. Message to young professionals: “The water sector offers young professionals the opportunity to make a huge positive impact on people’s lives. Be one of the diverse, energetic and exciting people to make a water sector that South Africa can depend upon.”

YWP holds webinar between South African and Japanese water sectors

Protecting and maintaining water distribution systems is crucial to ensuring high-quality drinking water. By Thandeka Jwara

Distribution systems consist of pipes, pumps, valves, storage tanks, reservoirs, meters, fittings, and other hydraulic appurtenances that carry drinking water from a centralised treatment plant to consumers’ taps. Therefore, distribution is an important part of the value chain and requires adequate monitoring and management to ensure sustained access to water and customer relations.

Webinar

The YWP recently held a webinar between eThekwini’s Water and Sanitation Department, Umgeni Water and the Yokohama Waterworks Bureau in Japan.

Presentations were kicked off by an Umgeni Water and eThekwini Water and Sanitation representative who gave an overview of the organisation, the water distribution management strategy, as well as its water supply services. South Africa – and KwaZulu-Natal in particular – faces challenges with non-revenue water through illegal connections or unregistered customers.

Customers in rural areas where the service level is such that they consume 6 kℓ of free basic water tend to tamper with infrastructure in order to gain full pressure supply. Other consumers bypass meters to avoid billing, while some reconnect their supply (illegally so) after being disconnected for non-payment.

Japan representatives, however, claimed that they do not have such challenges, as most of their customers are billed. They alluded to the fact that their effective system performance is due to the integration of technology for most, if not all, of their distribution and demand management infrastructure. This was a key highlight, as KZN has ageing infrastructure and faced an estimated 45% of non-revenue water in the 2018/19 financial year.

The session remains available on YouTube for live-streaming and more conversations of a similar nature are envisaged for the future. Population growth, rising per capita water consumption, and increasing environmental protection efforts have increased pressure on the world’s freshwater resources.

Tinashe Chipako is a YWP member and civil engineer at Zutari