DA to lay charges against Limpopo municipalities over stolen water

A financially challenged Limpopo district municipality is apparently spending millions of rands on cultivating clean drinkable water, which allegedly ends up being stolen by thugs and businesspeople.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) will today lay criminal charges against the Sekhukhune district municipality as well as the Ephraim Mogale municipality for allegedly doing nothing while large quantities of water were stolen on a regular basis.

The DA alleged that since the beginning of last year’s Easter holidays an estimated 80,000 to 150,000 litres of water was stolen daily from a fire hydrant in Extension 6 in the Ephraim Mogale municipal area.

The party claimed the district decided to turn a blind eye after they advised them to put measures in place to stop theft.

DA councillor in the municipality, Flip Jacobs, said yesterday the party believed that the two municipalities were refusing to perform their duties in terms of legislation. He said their refusal to act promptly was likely to make the community experience water shortages.

“Many villages in Ephraim Mogale municipality are still without clean and running water. Some of them continue to share drinkable or dirty water with animals while water is being stolen,” he said.

But the Sekhukhune district municipality has denied the DA’s accusation, saying the party was ill-informed about the matter. The municipal spokesperson, Moloko Moloto, said the water tankers the DA was referring to belonged to service providers contracted by the municipality to provide water to Jane Furse Hospital.

“These service providers get water from this particular source the DA is referring to in Ephraim Mogale whenever they encounter challenges from Makhuduthamaga local municipality where the hospital is located,” he said.

Moloto said it was untrue that the water is being stolen.

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