Pretoria - In a bid to urgently address water challenges in QwaQwa, Minister of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation Lindiwe Sisulu has this week given stern directives to her department and Maluti-a-Phofung local municipality to move with speed in implementing long term solutions in QwaQwa.
In a statement on Thursday, the department said a noticeable number of the pipes for the 1.4km pipeline were delivered in Phuthaditjhaba on Tuesday. “As a result, two boreholes were drilled and equipped in Kestell Section 5 this week in order to ensure water supply for the location and surrounds.”
The drilling and equipping of the remaining pipeline will continue over the coming weekend, and it’s expected to progress for a period of six months.
Minister Sisulu has reiterated her plea to QwaQwa residents to exercise patience as work continues to bring about immediate relief, whilst looking at long-term solutions.
The minister has also sent a stern warning against criminal activities that are meant to distract progress and incite violence in communities.
“My Department together with Sedibeng Water and the municipality are working tirelessly to ensure we fix what has been broken for far too long.”
“I plead with communities to work us as we fix the challenges of QwaQwa. I accept that most people have been exposed to harsh realities as a direct result of water scarcity, but this is not an excuse to turn a blind eye to criminal behaviour,” Sisulu said.
She said theft of water trucks’ batteries was disappointing. “An investigation is currently under way, and perpetrators will face the full might of the law,” Sisulu said.
In the interim, residents are called upon to use water with caution as dam levels are on a steady increase at 69.2 percent this week from last week’s 69.0 percent for the Free State province. Meanwhile, Fika-Patso Dam on the Namahadi River remains steady at a low 10.4 percent.