Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation, David Mahlobo and his Cuban counterpart, Bladimir Matos Moya, First Vice President of the National Institute of Hydraulic Resources of Cuba, have signed an agreement between the governments of South Africa and Cuba on cooperation in the fields of water resources management and water supply. The signing happened during the fifth session of the South Africa-Cuba Steering Committee held in Pretoria on 25 November 2021.
Both sides reiterated their commitment to continue strengthening the bilateral cooperation for mutual benefit based on the Agreement between the two countries. The Agreement has ensured the continuity of the cooperation on water and sanitation between both nations that started in 2001.
Both Deputy Minister Mahlobo and First Vice President Matos Moya have welcomed the progress made and the important achievements attained in this bilateral cooperation, including the deployment in South Africa of highly qualified Cuban specialists, who are assisting as advisors at provincial, municipal and local levels with the maintenance and management of water supply and sanitation infrastructure, as well as the strategic planning of those resources, particularly in rural and other disadvantaged communities.
They have agreed to expand and diversify the areas of cooperation. They also emphasised the need to focus on capacity-building, through the development of training courses in Cuba and South Africa that will be tailor-made to support national, provincial and local South African technical and professional staff.
Both parties agreed to continue working together to ensure the success of the next South Africa-Cuba Steering Committee Meeting, scheduled to be held in September 2022, in Havana, Cuba.
Deputy Minister Mahlobo and First Vice President Matos Moya recognised the deep historical relations and the strong spirit of solidarity between South Africa and Cuba, which goes beyond the establishment of formal diplomatic relations 27 years ago.
In this regard, Deputy Minister Mahlobo reiterated that South Africa, as a matter of principle and in solidarity with the government and people of Cuba, will continue to support and vote in favour of the UN annual resolutions on the “necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the USA against Cuba”.
Deputy Minister Mahlobo further said South Africa also notes that the excellent bilateral relations with Cuba, which are being translated into concrete deliverables through the Water and Sanitation Cooperation, serve to create a better life for all South Africans.