Brits - Significant progress has been made to ensure that residents of Majakaneng and Letlhabile in the Madibeng local municipality, North West are provided with drinking water, the department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) said on Monday.
“Malfunctioning boreholes have been refurbished and new ones have been drilled for the benefit of communities who previously did not have access to potable water,” spokesman Sputnik Ratau said.
Ratau said a total of 3 974 job cards were issued in the past three months and 2,625 went to local contractors.
“Current focus is on service provision to areas south of R104 main road. The reservoir that serves the area is kept open at night to allow more inflow of water for use during the day. Also, work has started on slabs for three big tanks to serve Sgandavu area through the connection of one dedicated high yield pipe in the interim,” he said.
Ratau said it was expected that the project of reticulating water to all areas that fall under Madibeng would be completed by the end of 2015.
The DWS was also continuing with the task of establishing water and sanitation forums in Madibeng.
“The latest forum is the Mmakau Water and Sanitation Forum whose village is next scheduled for the refurbishment of boreholes and the drilling of new ones.” Ratau said Kele Mogamisi has been appointed as the administrator to oversee the continuing successful implementation of water projects in Madibeng areas.
“She will unveil her mandate at a meeting with stakeholders in Brits on Monday.”
On Thursday, Democratic Alliance MP Nosimo Balindlela undertook an oversight visit to Madibeng and said she witnessed what she called “a crime against humanity”.
“What I have witnessed today [Thursday] in Madibeng is truly a crime against humanity. It saddens me that for the past 10 years Madibeng, a once thriving municipality has denigrated into a service less, corruption-rife and desolate municipality,” she said.
“Taps are non-functional and residents have to walk up to 20-30 km to collect water from a nearby church, for which they are charged R1 per 25 litres.
“It is unfair that politicians and public officials loot the public purse whilst residents in many of the communities in Madibeng continue to suffer and endure hardship unnecessarily when money should be appropriated for the delivery of basic services.”
Balindlela said she would write to Water and Sanitation Minister Nomvula Mokonyane to request that she urgently table a turn-around plan for Madibeng.
“We will also be writing to the chairpersons of the portfolio committees of co-operative governance, traditional affairs and water and sanitation, to request that a joint committee be established to summon all role-players that need to account to parliament.”
Balindlela visited Sunway, Letlhabile and Jericho.
ANA