In January 2015 a water use licence was issued to Lepelle Northern Water (LNW) by the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) to increase water allocation from 5 megalitres a day to 10 megalitres a day from the Makgoebaskloof Dam to the Politsi treatment plant. The Tzaneen Irrigation Board (TIB) appealed against the issuance of the licence. “The appeal is set for February 2024 to be heard by the Water Tribunal,” Wisani Mavasa, DWS spokesperson told the Herald.
“The Water Tribunal is an independent body that adjudicates on appeals and disputes in terms of Section 146 of the National Water Act, 1998 (Act 36 of 1998),” Mavasa said. She said that the appeal against the licence by the TIB has led to the suspension thereof until the matter is resolved. Thabo Mavundza, director of Agriculture Africa at Westfalia Fruit Estates and spokesperson of the TIB, told the Herald that one of the responsibilities of the TIB encompasses overseeing water resources and promoting responsible water use in the Tzaneen region.
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“The TIB takes its role seriously, emphasising the need to protect local water sources and manage water demands, especially when resources are scarce,” Mavundza said. He said LNW, appointed by the department, is responsible for upgrading the Politsi Water Treatment Works. “This upgrade is driven by the growing demand for clean drinking water in Modjadjiskloof, where LNW is mandated to provide drinking water to residents.”
He said the issuance of the licence to Lepelle was “without careful consideration of existing legal water use and inputs from the TIB and other relevant stakeholders responsible for managing and using the water resources in this area”. “These stakeholders opposed the licence issuance, citing concerns about straining existing water resources. Obtaining a new licence in an area with already high water demand may limit existing legal water usage,” he said.
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“The TIB has presented multiple proposals to LNW and DWS representatives, but unfortunately, none were accepted. Consequently, formal appeal procedures seemed the only option,” he said. “Recently, the TIB has initiated a new approach to foster an amicable solution, with a proposal under consideration by all parties. If no consensus is reached, the Water Tribunal will hear the formal appeal by the TIB with the goal of collaboratively and professionally resolving this matter,” he concluded.
In October Lovers Maenetja, spokesperson for the Greater Letaba Municipality in Modjadjiskloof, told the Herald that the ongoing unresolved matter has an effect on the provision of water to the residents of Kgapane and Modjadjiskloof. She said the strain experienced at the Politsi Water Treatment Works due to the halt of the bulk supply upgrade between the plant and Modjadjiskloof, is contributing to the water problems in the town.
