Polokwane mayor John Mpe has dispelled allegations that the city’s protracted water woes were compounded by the water bill the council owed the Greater Tzaneen local municipality.

The city, including villages and surrounding townships such as Seshego and Turfloop-Mankweng, experienced acute water shortages at the weekend.

‘Broken system’

It is alleged this was due to a broken system, which was ultimately attended to by officials of the Lepelle Northern Water Board.

Lepelle is a state-owned water utility responsible for the provision of bulk water in Limpopo.

Crisis over weekend

At the weekend, social media was abuzz with residents’ speculation about the city’s water woes.

This after the city’s taps went dry. Some people bought water from those with boreholes while the poor from villages descended to streams to fetch water for their households.

Some frustrated residents alleged that the city owed the Greater Tzaneen local municipality billions for unpaid water bills, which had compounded the

problem.

Polokwane depends on water from Ebenezer Dam in Tzaneen and the Olifantspoort water purification plant, which draws water from Flag Boshielo and De Hoop Dam in Sekhukhune.

Straight from the horse’s mouth

“We don’t owe Tzaneen a cent. We do not owe Lepelle Northern Water or the national department of water and sanitation anything,” said Mpe on Wednesday.

Mpe said his council was paying about R26 million a month to the Lepelle Northern Water for water.

“Polokwane’s water challenges faced didn’t start today or this year. The city has faced this serious challenge for ages,” he said.

Mpe said the city was now erecting a state-of-the-art water purification plant in Seshego, which he said was close to completion.

He said the R200 million plant would pump up to 10 megalitres of water per day.

The executive mayor, who is also ANC Peter Mokaba regional chair, said the city was also working with the department of water and sanitation on the sand harvesting water project in Ladana to the value of just over R400 million.

He said, when completed, the plant would pump up to 18 megalitres of water per day.

He said the city has a population of about one million people.

Mpe praised Water and Sanitation Minister Senzo Mchunu and his two deputies, David Mahlobo and Dikeledi Magadzi, for being hands-on to thwart the city’s water woes.

“The three think on their feet and are hands-on to solve the problem.”

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