Lepekula Khiba during an interview in Thabazimbi, South Africa. Picture: Gallo Images / Sowetan / Thulani Mbele
A heated argument, which nearly became a physical spat, ensued between Mopani district mayor Pule Shayi and the thirsty community of Masoma in Tzaneen over the theft of water by residents and illegal connections.
Shayi had gone to the village, near Masoma Dam, to asses a multimillion-rand reticulation water project.
He had been visiting water-challenged communities since last Friday.
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His visit was aimed at assessing progress made by contractors on government’s plan to fight water shortages and its reticulation projects in communities hard hit by drought.
The mayor, who is also ANC Norman Mashabane regional chair and who was accompanied by members of his mayoral committee, found a group of women, vandalising the pipes supplying water to the community.
The women had illegally connected water to their vegetable gardens and farms.
Armed with garden implements, the angry women threatened Shayi and ordered him to leave them in peace.
“This is a no-go area. No one can stop us. You [pointing fingers at him], you are a small boy and there is nothing you or your people can do to stop us,” one of the women shouted.
“I am not scared of you. You can’t come here and try to stop our lives.
“Water comes from rain and rain comes from God. You are not God and we cannot pray you. I dare you, touch one of these pipes and you will rue the day you were born.”
The mayor took a deep breath and walked away. MMC for infrastructure Masilo Maloko advanced on the woman, saying: “Stay aloof woman, if you know what is good for you.”
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Surprisingly, the woman walked away quietly.
Shayi said the Mopani district municipality was a water service council, charged with providing potable water to communities.
He said providing clean running water to its 1.2 million-strong populace was close to his heart.
“But if we keep on vandalising water equipment, illegally connecting water pipes from the main supplier, this will remain a pipe dream,” he said.
The district municipality would move to reticulate more villages in hard-hit areas.
“Progress on reticulation to households in villages such as Mogapeng, Masoma and Mashiloane is currently at 76%, while progress on the bulk pipeline from the water treatment works to villages as far as Gavaza in ward 28 is now at 50%.”
He said his municipality had R73 million in the 2022-23 financial year to continue with reticulation to more households.
The project should ultimately benefit 25 villages.
His council was also prioritising short-term interventions as work on the multi-year project continued.
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