Jerusalem and Mshadza get water-supply relief
The deputy minister of human settlements said the project was a response to the president's call for hygiene and that essential services were provided during the lockdown.
MASOYI – The deputy minister of human settlements, water and sanitation, David Mahlobo, accompanied by Premier Refilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane, handed over six boreholes and water tankers to the community of Jerusalem and Mshadza on Monday.
The two areas each received three boreholes and three 10 000-litre water tankers. This was part of the department’s resolve to fast-track water provision among communities in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Speaking during the handover at Jerusalem Centre Two, Mahlobo said the project was a response to the president’s call for hygiene and that essential services were provided during the lockdown.
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“One of the essential services was the question of water and sanitation. Our minister of human settlements, water and sanitation, Lindiwe Sisulu, working with us and the premiers, was able to set up a common centre just for water.
“We are rolling out temporary relief to all municipalities that are under stress and need to be supported,” he added. Mahlobo mentioned this relief includes water-storage tanks, water trucks and boreholes.
“We are pleased that water was found underground in Jerusalem,” he said.
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Mahlabo mentioned that Inkomati Usuthu Catchment Area played a vital role in providing the boreholes. He handed the project to the premier, who in turn handed it over to the executive mayor of the City of Mbombela Local Municipality, Sibusiso Mathonsi, and the mayor of Ehlanzeni District Municipality, Jester Sidell.
Mtsweni-Tsipane pleaded with both mayors to ensure constant testing of the water to ensure that the community has safe water.
“We appeal to our commumity to guard this infrastructure jealously and immediately report whoever tries to vandalise this infrastructure to the police so that arrests are made,” she said.
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The boreholes are solar-powered. Smith Malumane, a resident, said, “We are are happy that water is now closer to home. We will now wash our hands more frequently and keep our homes clean.”
Henry Manana, a block committee member, said, “We are so happy that after years of being without water, we finally have water. We just wish the municipality could improve our streets too, so that our people may walk without fear of falling over while pushing their wheelbarrows from the borehole.”
