Protests increase in Lim with little or no water

LIMPOPO – In yet another service delivery protest in the province, residents of Tshikuwi, Luvhalani, Tshirolwe and surrounding villages in the Nzhelele area shut down the areas from 19 to 21 February, with the R523 from Tshikuwi to Biaba blocked in both directions with burning tyres and rocks.

In January, protestors brought Louis Trichardt to a standstill, demanding to see the Minister of Water and Sanitation as some areas have not had running water for years.

In the latest shutdown, the local communities demand services, including water, electricity and tar roads from the Makhado and Vhembe district municipalities. Local schools were closed for the duration of the protest, and workers were unable to report for duty.

Various complaints were raised by the communities from this area that the local municipality does not value their concerns when it comes to the provision of water.

They say faulty boreholes have not been properly maintained and refurbished and with inflation rising, poverty is reaching levels not known before. This, they say, has resulted in locals not being able to afford water as they have become used to buying water, and for this reason they will boycott the 2024 election should their demands not be addressed.

The community leader, Ewart Muravha, said residents living in villages have not had water for 27 years and water tankers have never been to the area.

“We do not understand how the municipalities expect us to live without water. The lack of service delivery, lack of electricity and water, the clinics not functioning well and the high rate of unemployment have had a huge impact on us.”

He said villagers are of the opinion that government treats them as voting fodder, which is something they intend to change.

“Government doesn’t take us seriously. When they come here, they just make empty promises and afterwards, they just leave us like that.”

Alfred Raiboni, who was among the protestors, said they had decided to take their frustrations to the road because there was no solution in sight.

“It seems as if the ANC’s regional executive members are playing games with this community.”

According to Raiboni, former Makhado Mayor Samuel Munyai committed to resolve the area’s water issues before December 2023. “On February 19, villages from Tshikuwi and surrounding communities were still without water. The people who are supposed to account for this are distancing themselves.” Samuel Munyai, the head of technical services in the Vhembe district, during his visit to the area, said the municipality had received their grievances.

“We know about their concerns over water scarcity.” Munyai said he went to the representative with the contractor who has been appointed to repair and drill more boreholes in Tshikuwi, Luvhalani and Tshirolwe. “We can start on the work once the road has been cleared,” he stated.