Sekhukhune service delivery protest called off after R143m promised for water relief

A three-week-long service delivery protest in Sekhukhune, Limpopo, was abruptly called off at the weekend after Water and Sanitation Minister Lindiwe Sisulu promised R143 million for an immediate water-relief project.

Angry residents had taken to the streets, blocking all main roads leading to Groblersdal and Marble Hall with tree trunks, huge rocks and bricks to get government’s attention.

For the past three weeks, there has been teaching in Sekhukhune schools as the villagers ran amok. Residents have allegedly spent six months without potable water, which was promised by the ANC government during elections.

The disenchanted communities also said a multimillion-rand project to lay pipes from De Hoop and Flag-Boshielo Dams was abandoned by a contractor, while the R12 million set aside by the Sekhukhune district municipality to supply water via tanks to communities was also halted for no apparent reason.

Apart from the R143-million injection, Sisulu also handed over JoJo tanks to the community, while Premier Stan Mathabatha undertook to drill two boreholes for Philadelphia Hospital by next week.

Sisulu said the money would be used to drill new boreholes, refurbish old ones and bankroll other water infrastructure in an endeavour to address the water problems of the community as a short-term measure.

“It is our job to ensure that water, a basic human need, reaches everyone. We will provide more tanks to this community wherein schools, pensioners, police stations and the Philadelphia Hospital would be prioritised,” said Sisulu during the visit on Friday.

Sekhukhune district municipality mayor Stan Ramaila said his office had signed a service-level agreement with Lepelle Northern Water, a state-owned water utility in Limpopo, to manage the municipality’s infrastructure and water projects.

“Lepelle will provide bulk water services to the region, manage water treatment plants and implement a capital expenditure programme that aims to expand pipelines, reservoirs and pumping station infrastructures across the district.

“Their scope of work would also be to overhaul the aged water reticulation system in Motetema and install smart meters in households. The problem of the erratic water supply in Moutse was caused by the level of water in Mkhombo Dam or Dr JS Moroka in Mpumalanga, but we are on top of the situation,” he said.

Seun Mogotji, a resident in the area and a councillor in Elias Motsoaledi municipality between Limpopo and Mpumalanga, said residents had decided to call off the protest and work with Sisulu and Mathabatha.

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