The signing of the Heads of Terms for an OMM Framework Agreement on 23 March 2022 by Dr Sean P Phillips, the Director-General of the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS), represents a significant milestone for the Olifants Management Model (OMM) Programme and paved the way for its official launch by Minister Mchunu on 9 May.
The signed agreement initiates the start of the next implementation phase of the Programme and confirms key areas of negotiation between institutional and commercial members, such as governance
structures, programme scope, funding of CAPEX, securing of pipeline capacity, resourcing partnerships and more.
The agreement also confirms joint responsibility for the funding of study costs (by both institutional and commercial users), and that the Programme will be implemented by a transformed Lebalelo Water User Association (LWUA). The LWUA will be rebranding in future and is set to become a renamed entity with a new logo and corporate identity; for the time being, the name is proposed as the Olifants Management Model Water User Association (OMM WUA).
The OMM Programme represents a significant opportunity for socio-economic development (SED) given the extent of the capital and operation spend. In line with the five identified priority areas for SED (see diagram below), the OMM team have set up a series of three ideation sessions to help identify potential SED initiatives. The sessions are focused on Potable Water and Sanitation, Education and Enterprise Development with an emphasis on how technology and connectivity can be leveraged.
To date, two workshops (Potable Water and Sanitation as well as Education) have been held in Polokwane with good representation from local, provincial and national government departments. The ideation sessions will culminate in a funding partners workshop with a view to driving sponsorship for initiatives identified through the process.
