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Another empty water promise for Giyani’s residents

Mopani District Mayor Pule Shayi emphasised the importance of ensuring sufficient water supply to support Giyani’s growing population and the development of new industries.

LIMPOPO – Mopani District Mayor Pule Shayi explained to communities around Giyani why the district could not complete the water reticulation project by the promised deadline of December.

Speaking in Khakhala village during a campaign aimed at informing communities about the delays in the project, Shayi outlined reasons why they could not finish by the promised date.

He cited community protests and unproductive contractors as some of the factors contributing to the delays.

“Here in this village, I received reports that one of the reasons for the delay is the contractor’s lack of commitment. At times, he fights with workers due to non-payment of wages, among other issues, and this has hindered progress on your project. When we first learned about the challenges here, it was reported that the contractor had not been paid, which in turn resulted in him not paying his workers. This occurred because the money for this project is not managed directly by us, and the payment process is lengthy, with invoices needing to pass through several channels before payment can be made,” explained the mayor.

Ndaheni Mabunda (right) speaks to Mopani Mayor Pule Shayi (left) during his visit to Khakhala village on the delay of the water reticulation project.

He added that at one point, he had to personally intervene to expedite the contractor’s payment.

“Despite these challenges, the contractor is now incurring penalties for failing to complete the work on time. As a result, it appears they have increased their pace, and we are confident that the project will be completed by January 31 here in Khakhala,” he said.

However, this does not mean that all projects in Giyani will be completed by January 31.

“We have one project scheduled for completion on January 15, seven projects set to finish by February 28, and only one project will be completed on March 31. At that point, I can confidently say phase one is complete.

I will then request money from the department to begin phase two, which will cover 31 villages in Giyani,” he said.

Shayi, however, cautioned that the new deadlines do not guarantee that all the communities in the first phase will have access to water, as this depends on the completion of the bulk line installation, a task managed by the Lepelle Water Board.

He explained that the district’s role is to lay the smaller pipelines that connect to the main bulk line.

Therefore, even if the district completes its work on time, the communities will still not receive water if Lepelle has not finished installing the bulk line.

“There are nine bulk water pipelines that supply the whole of Giyani. Another line extends from the plant to areas such as Muyexe, Gawula, Mapayeni, Maswanganyi, Sekhunyane, and others. These bulk lines are managed by the Lepelle Water Board, while our responsibility is to install smaller pipelines that distribute water from the bulk lines into households,” explained the mayor.

“Our work is dependent on the completion of those bulk lines, which means that even if we complete our tasks, the community will not receive water until Lepelle finalises its work on the bulk line. Nevertheless, we were able to hire 38 contractors to work on water reticulation (pipeline distribution to households). This is because we need to ensure that our water distribution pipes are ready and connected to the main bulk line managed by Lepelle, so that once their work is complete, the system will be fully operational,” he said.

He added, however, that if the district completes its work before the bulk line is ready for connection, they will consider using a borehole system to ensure that communities receive water while Lepelle continues working on the bulk line.

“We will coordinate with Lepelle to assess their progress on the installation of the bulk lines. If they are not finished by the time we complete our work in January, we will implement a borehole system as a temporary solution until their work is completed,” he said.

Shayi further stated that plans were underway to upgrade the water treatment plant at Nsami Dam, increasing its capacity from 30 mega litres per day to 40 mega litres per day.

This upgrade is intended to meet the needs of Giyani’s community for the next 40 years.

He emphasised the importance of ensuring sufficient water supply to support Giyani’s growing population and the development of new industries.

“Giyani has fewer economic activities compared to municipalities like Tzaneen, Maruleng and Phalaborwa. This is why it is crucial to ensure water availability here to stimulate economic growth and create jobs for local communities,” he said.

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Raeesa Sempe

Raeesa Sempe is a Caxton Award-winning Digital Editor with nine years’ experience in the industry. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Media Studies from the University of the Witwatersrand and started her journey as a community journalist for the Polokwane Review in 2015. She then became the online journalist for the Review in 2016 where she excelled in solidifying the Review’s digital footprint through Facebook lives, content creation and marketing campaigns. Raeesa then moved on to become the News Editor of the Bonus Review in 2019 and scooped up the Editorial Employee of the Year award in the same year. She is the current Digital Editor of the Polokwane Review-Observer, a position she takes pride in. Raeesa is married with one child and enjoys spending time with friends, listening to music and baking – when she has the time. “I still believe that if your aim is to change the world, journalism is a more immediate short-term weapon." – Tom Stoppard

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