Risinga residents happy about legal connections
Before the water reticulation project began in 2022 in the Greater Giyani Municipality (GGM), illegal water connections were common in Risinga, a recently established settlement.
Residents in the area allegedly received water through illegal connections to the municipality’s main pipeline through someone they knew. When a new resident wanted to join the already-existing illegal pipelines, they would typically have to pay a fee ranging from R1 500 to R2 000. The water reticulation project currently being implemented in the area has resulted in the termination of these illegal connections.
New water pipelines are being installed in every household, and residents are happy to finally receive a proper flow of municipal water. “The flow of water from illegal connections was not strong and did not reach all the areas,” said Edith Baloyi of Risinga. “I understand that the new pipelines mean that we will now have to pay for our water, but that’s fine with me, as long as we receive a proper flow of water,” she said.
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As for the ongoing water reticulation project, Mayor Pule Shayi of the Mopani District Municipality (MDM) confirmed that phase one will be completed by the end of March, at which point all residents covered by phase one will have access to water in their yards. “The majority of the water reticulation projects of 12 months should be completed by the end of March.
“However, others started late in July, so these may take up to July,” explained Odas Ngobeni, MDM’s spokesperson. According to him, a meeting of the MMSTT (Mopani multistakeholder task team), which inlcudes the Departement of Water and Sanitation, Lepelle, GGM, traditional leaders, business chambers, and Sanco, is scheduled for later this month where a progress report is expected to be presented. “I will then share the information with you, including the envisioned start of the next phase targeting the other 31 villages,” he said.
