9 years after inception of project still no water

A WATER project that was initiated nine years ago by the Vhembe District Municipality to eradicate water shortages in at least five rural communities around Mutale, has not produced clean water since its inception.

The villages that would have benefited from a clean supply of tap water included Ha-Manenzhe, Mapakoni, Bale, Mataulu, and Lwathuda villages are still forced to pay exorbitant prices to buy water privately.

Ha-Manenzhe community leader, Ishmael Manenzhe, said they were forced to pay R20 for a 20 litre drum of water.

“We are in a deeply rural area where most of us have no steady jobs and it is difficult to make money to buy water. We are also forced to drink dirty water; the same water that the animals drink. This can also be hazardous to our health,” he said.

Manenzhe, together with more than 100 disgruntled villagers, shared their problem with Vhembe mayor Tshitereke Matibe and his councillors during his visit to the area last Wednesday.

Matibe said the municipality, as the water authority in the area, could not tolerate such a situation.

“We have set aside R27 million for drilling boreholes in the affected dry areas in this financial year. We have already distributed more than 50 water rollers to the Mapakoni villagers, after we found they spent almost a year without clean water from the taps,” he said.

Matibe added that the communities should also inform the municipality if they erected another new village, following the new Lunamo village near Ha-Manenzhe which will need services such as water and electricity.