Lindiwe Sisulu – Minister of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation
Cuba was a good friend to South Africa and is now a friend in need. This is surely the sensible reason why our National Government is opting to spend approximately R65M to hire a group of Cuban Sanitation Engineers.
When the West was wringing its hands during the Cold War, Cuba was making friends in the developing world. This strategy has proven to be a wise investment – certainly with South Africa. We have benefitted from Cuban military support, medical support and now sanitation support. The small print here is that the support has been paid for, paid handsomely by our grateful Government.
Some South African engineers are feeling chagrined that a tidy sum is being spent on specialized Cuban services that are not really needed. There is no shortage of design and operational engineers – the shortage is of properly run Municipalities. Infrastructure and operational investment is currently taking second place to more important priorities, such as, and I hope, housing, education, safety and food security.
Sanitation should not be poo pooed though. A host of studies have shown that life expectancy increases with improved Sanitation (have a look here).
Perhaps the Cuban Sanitation Engineers are Municipal Managers in disguise. If that be the case, then bring them over!