Drop the Block Campaign Report

Drop the Block Campaign Report to the Portfolio Committee on Water & Sanitation 6th October, 2017 PRESENTATION TITLE Presented by: Name Surname Directorate Date

Contents • Background • Aims and Objectives • Youth Empowerment • Blocks per province • Event-based rollout • Branding and Marketing • Media • Expenditure to date • Challenges • Highlights

Why was the campaign initiated? • During 2016, South Africa experienced one of the most debilitating drought conditions in years • Instead of spending more money on advertising with messages of water saving that will contribute towards behavioural change, the Department rolled out the Drop The Block Campaign, as an intervention to promote water use efficiency and reduce water consumption, given the drought conditions in the country • This initiative is in line with the National Water Resource Strategy 2 that is advocating the need to minimize water wastage, the care and protection of water resources, efficient and effective use of water • The campaign was rolled out as a door-to-door initiative and targeted household consumption by reducing the amount of water used per flush i.e. current consumption of 9 – 12 litres of water per flush

What did we want to achieve? • Reduce water consumption from flushing, thereby supporting water use efficiency • Monitoring of water losses at household level • Awareness creation on water use efficiency, with maximum community participation and as part of the campaign, households were encouraged to: • Take regular metre readings • Trace and repair leaks • Water efficient taps and toilets • Private sector and SOE collaboration

How does the campaign link to the APP?

What were the benefits?

Additional benefits • The programme had a complementary, positive impact on the creation of work opportunities for young people in the various provinces and achieved the following: • Work opportunities were created for unskilled youth • Skills transfer by teaching young people how to conduct water loss audits as well as basic skills on fixing leaking taps and pipes • Income generation • Social interaction with like minded young people • Collaboration possibilities

What was the Campaign Expenditure? The campaign was funded as part of the Communications budget line items.

What were the institutional arrangements for the campaign? • Sedibeng Water was appointed as the implementing agent for the roll out of the campaign • The Department is legally allowed to appoint its water entities as implementing agents, given that MOU are duly entered into • An MOU is attached for ease of reference • The MOU was initiated for a period of three years, however when the campaign was stopped, the service providers were released with no legal or other penalties for either Sedibeng Water of the Department

What were the selection criteria for participating municipalities? The following was the qualifying criteria for areas that were identified to participate in the project: • Affected by drought • Households with high per capita consumption • Households that have bigger toilet cisterns, between 9 and 14 litres in size per flush • Indigent households that are struggling to pay for services

Roll Out per Province

Private Sector and Government Collaboration • Transnet (Silveron GP) and Eskom (Magawatt Park, Sandton GP) – 1 700 • Woolworths (HO – Cape Town) and Sasol (Rosebank GP and Secunda MP) – 11 980 • Buildings maintained by Department of Public Works (FS, WC, and NW) – 17 000

Event Based Roll-out

What were Campaign Challenges? • There were challenges with the participation by some municipalities. • Household audit identified areas of leakages in most of the households visited, including leaking cisterns, taps and pipes. • In some municipalities, communities had been waiting for basic services for a long time therefore there were not interested on any form of awareness campaign. • Household members complained about response times on their complaints to municipalities • Some household members were not available during the day, extending working days into weekends • There were faulty and leaking water metres in some households. • All these issues were recorded as part of the audit and escalated to municipalities and our call centre operators for follow up/resolution

What were campaign gains? • Water savings were achieved • Water supply systems were monitored for water losses, up to household level • Ward Councillors were hands-on throughout the campaign. • Some municipalities had already replaced the old 9-15 liters cisterns with 6 litres and most RDP houses are fitted with smaller cisterns. This shows commitment on water saving across all spheres of government. • In most wards volunteers were creative and determined to exceed set targets. • The audits conducted by the volunteers highlighted the challenges of water losses at household level, especially in relation to leaking pipes, leaking taps, as well as illegal water connections. This information was relayed back to the municipalities.

Campaign Activities The Mayor of Govan Mbeki Local Municipality, launched Drop the Block campaign Govan Mbeki Local municipality welcome the Drop the Block Campaign Volunteers attended the launch after the induction session

Campaign Activities (cont.) DWS demonstrating and distributing Drop-the-block at Woolworths head office in Cape Town Rolling out Drop the block in Thabanchu Khayelitsha community members collecting the blocks during an Imbizo. A volunteer installing the block in Thulamahashe,Mpumalanga

Campaign Activities (cont.) Water Saving Campaign held in Tshwane The campaign was amplified by using various marketing material, including Posters, pamphlets ,demonstration videos placed on social media.

Marketing & Branding

Selected News Coverage

THANK YOU

Drop the Block Campaign Report