“We are not recognised by the municipality,” says Makgofe residents
The residents of Makgofe, in Mmotong are up in arms over a lack of service delivery in the area as their village does not have water and they rely on the water provided to them by the municipality.
POLOKWANE – The residents are part of ward 37, but the water truck only supplies water to one area of the ward.
The situation has caused much tension within the community as residents feel the municipality only caters for a part of the community. The ward is divided into two with two councillors.
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“The situation once got so bad that it almost came to blows. The police were called in and it was decided that the water truck would service the entire ward 37, and not exclude certain parts. After the police left, the truck continued supplying water to only one part of the ward, completely disregarding the agreement that we had with the police present,” said Hans Semenya, a concerned resident. The concern is that the side of the ward that does not receive water is left destitute if they do not carry their buckets to the side that the water truck supplies.
They say that they have on numerous occasions tried to engage the municipality in the hope that the matter would be resolved, but their attempts have been fruitless.
“We currently have no water, no roads, no streets and no electricity. It seems that we are not recognised by the municipality. We have been submitting memorandum after memorandum, but nothing gets done,” added Semenya.
The residents explained that although they have other grievances that they would like the municipality to address, the water situation is their main priority because without water, their lives are at a standstill.
The Spokesperson for the Municipality, Thipa Selala said that it is the municipality’s responsibility through its Water and Sanitation Unit to supply water within the municipality’s area of jurisdiction.
“Where there are water supply challenges or no infrastructure to provide the service, a temporary relief measure is implemented in the form of a water tanker.
“There must be communication between the municipal official and the ward councillor or their appointed representative on the schedules of the delivery of water. Once the truck sets out on its way to deliver water, the municipality transfers control to the ward councillor or the representative, to ensure that the distribution of water covers all affected areas.
“If there are shortages or the supply is insufficient, the message has to be communicated with the municipal officials to ensure that the distribution schedule is reprioritised,” he said.
