The Minister of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation, Lindiwe Sisulu, has directed the Lepelle Northern Water Board (LNW), the Department of Water and Sanitation Limpopo Water Utility, to urgently provide water to over 100 villages that are currently without water in the province.
The minister issued this directive during a meeting between her and the board.
“Our people’s needs are primary. We made a promise to them ten years ago that their lives will be better and we have no excuse but to live up to the promises we made. The people of Limpopo can no longer be denied this basic human right,” said Sisulu.
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According to the departmental spokesperson, Sputnik Ratau, the board committed itself to respond positively to the minister’s directive by ensuring that they do everything possible to provide basic services to the people of the province.
Sisulu had a meeting with the board to get a briefing about successes and challenges faced by the entity in the execution of its responsibility.
Since July, Sisulu has been meeting water boards to understand their challenges with an intention of finding lasting solutions.
Ratau said that some of the challenges raised by the board include amongst others, non-payment for services rendered, ageing infrastructure, deteriorating raw water quality and a lack of water quantification and conservation management by municipalities.
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During the meeting Sisulu also raised concerns that water boards were only responsible for bulk water as she strongly believes that the department and its entities should also be responsible for reticulation.
The current arrangement is that the department and the boards provide bulk water, while municipalities are responsible for ensuring that there is water in the taps.
Sisulu made an undertaking to visit the province before the end of the year to meet with traditional leaders, community members and provincial government.
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