THE current water shortage in Polokwane is having a negative effect on the studies of University of Limpopo students.
According to students who live off-campus in Mankweng, they have been experiencing daily water shortages since January.
They say they are forced to fetch water from the university campus after attending their lectures during the day. Some students who are renting in Mamotintane have to risk their lives by crossing the busy road with wheelbarrows or buckets.
The students further say they have complained that this problem is consuming a lot of their study time. “I am forced to fetch water at night because during the day I am attending lectures. This is painful because I am paying rent but the services are not being rendered. This place is not safe during the night as thugs are on the streets during that time. Students are being robbed of their cell phones, laptops and money. And some unfortunate ladies are being gang-raped,” Bongiwe Mabaso says.
Polokwane municipality spokesperson, Matshidiso Mothapo, says the municipality understands the students’ plight but is forced to control water usage as most dams in Limpopo are running out of water. “We are faced with a serious challenge of low water levels in our dams, and Ebenezer dam that supplies Mankweng and surrounding areas with water is one of those dams,” he says.
