No clean water, no peace

LIMPOPO – Residents announced this during the Capricorn District Municipality (CDM) meeting addressing the water crisis, which was held at Makgato village on Sunday.

The meeting comes after residents recently barricaded roads with burning tyres and stones, demanding clean running water.

A resident, Lethabo Mashatola, says what surprises them is that the municipality’s water pipes pass at their gates to the neighbouring villages while they don’t have water at all.

“We are forced to drink water with animals and this pose a health risk. In 2014 we were given IDP documents showing the municipality has set aside R7 million for water projects in our community but that did not happen until today,” says Mashatola. “We feel like the municipality undermines us and we are not going to tolerate this,” she says. Another resident, Paul Malema, says: “We use to buy water but we cannot afford to do so all the time. We have families around here that are disadvantaged and cannot afford to buy prepared water and are forced to let their children go to school without having taken proper baths”.

Responding to questions raised during the meeting, Blouberg Municipality Mayor, Solomon Pheedi, said their goal as municipality is to see all their villages within ward 15 drinking clean water.

“We understand the frustration faced by our people but we urge our communities to stop damaging and disturbing services by burning tyres as this delay us to deliver on our promises,” said Pheedi.

CDM Mayor, John Mpe, promised that anytime from this week there will be contractors which will be installing water pipes in the village.

“We condemn any form of violence within our communities as this delays the municipality’s processes.

“It is wrong to bring politics into ward committees because they are not necessarily where political parties are contesting each other’s strength and power,” says Mpe.

thoko@nmgroup.co.za