28 Maruleng villages still wait for clean water

HOEDSPRUIT – Seventeen years after the Mametja-Sekororo Regional Bulk Water Scheme (RWS) was launched, thousands of residents in 28 villages across the Maruleng Local Municipality (MLM) are still waiting for reliable access to clean, safe drinking water.

The RWS, launched in the 2008/09 financial year, was conceived after it became clear that borehole water alone could not meet the growing water needs of the Sekororo area.

With no proper infrastructure for bulk water distribution, the plan was to build a comprehensive system including a water treatment plant, bulk distribution lines, command and service reservoirs, and internal reticulation to each village.

According to Mopani District Municipality (MDM) spokesperson Odas Ngobeni, some progress has been made.

“The water treatment plant at The Oaks village is complete and currently supplies The Oaks, Finale and Santeng. However, the majority of villages still depend on boreholes, supplemented by water tankering where underground water is insufficient,” Ngobeni said.

The project, however, is far from complete. Ngobeni explained that the main challenge is the funding model.

“The current total budget requirement to complete the project is about R1.1 billion, as per the approved Implementation Readiness Study. On average, we receive around R30 million per year, with R35 million budgeted for the 2025/26 financial year. If we continue at this rate, completion will take much longer, which is undesirable.”

Phase 2 of the scheme is planned to supply villages such as Botshwana, Molalane, London, Worcester, Enable, Ga-Mametja, Mabins, Sedawa and others. The municipality is lobbying the national government for more funding to accelerate delivery.

Despite these efforts, criticism of the slow pace has been mounting. The Democratic Alliance (DA) in MLM has accused MDM of persistent failure to deliver. DA Whip Portia Moropane said that since inception, an estimated R1.4 billion has already been spent on the project, yet many communities remain without running water.

During recent visits to affected areas, the DA says it found residents relying on unreliable, ageing boreholes or collecting untreated water from stagnant sources.

Moropane described this as a violation of Section 27 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to sufficient water, as well as the Water Services Act, which obligates municipalities to take reasonable measures to fulfil this right.

“The people of Sekororo deserve better because water is not a luxury; it is a basic human right,” Moropane said. “We demand a clear project timeline, completion of outstanding infrastructure, and a forensic audit into how the funds have been spent.”

For now, the Mametja-Sekororo RWS remains partially operational, benefitting only a handful of communities while the rest wait. With funding arriving in small annual allocations and infrastructure work progressing in phases, many in the Sekororo area fear it could be years before they see clean water flowing from their taps.