Tree trunks block the R49 road leading to Gaborone, Botswana, yesterday as cars are prevented from entering exiting Lekubu village. Picture: Kenneth Moeng Mokgatlhe
Residents in the villages Lehurutshe, Lekubu and Supingstad near Zeerust, North West, have barricaded roads in their respective communities over persistent water shortages.
In Lehurutshe, the protest began last week and is continuing while Supingstad and Lekubu began their protest in the early hours of yesterday, making it impossible for trucks and travellers to exit and enter Gaborone, Botswana.
Teachers and pupils were not able to attend school as they could not enter or exit Lekubu village. The residents vowed to continue with the protest until the water is restored. In Lehurutshe, school activities were disturbed last week as the protest began.
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Lekubu residents, the local mayor and ward councillors blame corruption for the shortage of consistent water supply in their village.
The persistent water crisis in his village should be blamed on Ngaka Modiri Molema district municipality (NMMDM) as they are the agency responsible for supplying water to the local residents, local ward councillor, Victor Mogale, said.
Almost R1 billion has been used to fix the water problem but there is still no water, Pilot Mosothoane, a community leader from Lehurutshe township, said.
“These protests do not bother Ngaka Modiri Molema district municipality because as they take photos of these protests around our municipality and attach them on the business plan which they send to the national government to ask for millions of rands in the name of fixing our water crisis, the money goes to a few people’s pockets.
The money will be granted by the national government because it was emphasised that the situation was serious,” claimed Mosothoane.
The district municipality has used approximately R1 billion rand to fix the water issues.
“There is no problem, it is man-made with the sole purpose of benefitting the corrupt officials and tenderpreneurs. We have a fire station in Lehurutshe which does not have water. More than R2.5 million was claimed to have been used in the fire station but they still do not have water, something is not right,” Mosothoane added.
Mogale said: “I have done everything humanly possible. I always report faults and make recommendations as to what should happen to my ward but the district municipality does not adhere to my demands.
“The truth is that the Ngaka Modiri Molema district municipality does not have the right people with the right skills to fix our water crisis. It is clear that corruption plays a big role because the service provider would buy and install a cylinder that does not last long which means that they go for cheaper things to have money to themselves.”
“Before I became a councillor in this ward there were two water projects, one was worth 17 million and the other one was R26 million in 2019. But there is no water in the village. Millions of rands have been used to fix the water crisis here and in the entire municipality but there’s nothing. People want water,” Mogale added.
Councillors often take bribes from service providers in order to give them tenders, hence it was difficult to hold those companies accountable, community leader Mogoeng Meleko alleged.
“The problem is that these companies paid to provide us with water are giving out 5% of the money they made out of the tender to a councillor. It then becomes difficult to hold those companies accountable because they have silenced the councillor with a stake of a tender,” Meleko said.
Lekubu, Supingstad and Lehurutshe fall under Ramotshere Moiloa local municipality (RMLM) which depends on NMMDM for water competence.
“It is unfortunate that the people who are claiming to fix these water problems only fix it temporarily so that they will be called again to do ‘return jobs’. It is negligence on the part of the district municipality. I have written to the minister of water and sanitation,” RMLM mayor Dina Pitso said.
Minister of Water and Sanitation Senzo Mchunu is scheduled to visit the area tomorrow. “Following numerous complaints raised by the community regarding water supply, I am planning to convene a meeting to discuss water and sanitation challenges that pose threats to human life within the municipality and the surrounding areas,” Mchunu said in a letter.
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