Basic services still elusive in Limpopo

The struggle for basic services continues for the poorest of the poor in Limpopo, with only 143 000 out of 306 000 indigent households having clean water piped to their doorsteps or street corners.

This is according to the latest Non-Financial Census Report released recently by Statistics South Africa. The report measures aspects of service delivery in municipalities and analyses services provided by municipalities in terms of water, electricity, solid waste management, sewage and sanitation.

The shocking revelation comes after government ensured each municipality in the province got an equitable share from National Treasury, in line with poverty levels, to provide basic services to communities.

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It also comes as some major bulk water and drought relief projects in Limpopo have become white elephants, owing to alleged embezzlement of funds, lack of monitoring and poor workmanship.

According to the report, of 306 979 indigent households identified by municipalities, only 143 544 were identified for clean water, 108 148 for electricity, 60 372 for sewage and sanitation and 48 839 for solid waste
management benefits from government’s indigent support.

The report also revealed that Limpopo ranked lowest for free basic electricity and free basic sewage and sanitation provision, with only 7.1% of consumers receiving free basic electricity.

A total of 7 .2% of consumers received free basic sewage and sanitation from Limpopo’s municipalities, the report indicates. The report also showed that very few municipalities in the province were providing free basic services, even though 26 of the province’s 27 municipalities had policies to provide free basic services.

The number of municipalities that have implemented the free basic services policy are 10 for water; 22 for electricity; nine for sewage and sanitation and 16 for solid waste management.

–news@citizen.co.za

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