Mopani District Municipality (MDM) has budgeted R12.5 million for bulk water supply for Hoedspruit. Pule Shayi, executive mayor of MDM, announced this during his State of the District Address (SODA) on Wednesday, July 12 at the Giyani Community Hall. “The construction of a pump station in Santeng and the rising main sewage line to Sedawa is complete. We are awaiting the delivery of electrical cables and energising in order to proceed with pressure testing.”

He said the Department of Water and Sanitation has received approval from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for the Mametja-Sekororo regional bulk water scheme project. “Therefore, we should be proceeding with an enhanced pace in implementing this project for our people to have sustainable provision of water. To that extent, the municipality is finalising the designs to secure the appointment of contractors who should take the work forward in the 2023/24 financial year,” he said.

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He said that there still are many people in the district who depend on boreholes for drinking water. “We have a total number of 1715 boreholes in the district, though 306 need energising. We have budgeted R20 million in the 2023/24 financial year for borehole development as and when there is a need to do so for our people to have water in the immediate future,” he added. In reaching out to rural communities, at least 5858 households have benefitted from the VIP toilets programme completed in the 2022/23 financial year.

We have built 688 in Maruleng Municipality.” He said Maruleng Municipality will implement a project to pave the road in Mabins with a budget of R16 million, and the construction from gravel to paved as part of the Sofaya to Mahlomeng access road project with a budget of R20 million. “There are plans to rehabilitate the Ga-Sekororo access road with a budget of R5.3 million.

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The municipality will also be implementing a project to rehabilitate the Kampersus road with a budget of R3 million,” said Shayi. The rehabilitation of the Metz access road will also be implemented this financial year with a budget of R9 million, as well as the Lorraine access road with a budget of R1.6 million. R15 million is set aside for the Shikwane access road from gravel to paved. He said Maruleng Municipality has set aside R200 000 as part of the township establishment of Berlin portion 39 in Hoedspruit.