Pretoria - Angry Giyani residents in Limpopo’s Mopani District took to the streets yesterday, unhappy about water shortages.
The residents barricaded roads from 3am in what they called the “Giyani shutdown”.
The “shutdown” came after the failure by the Department of Water and Sanitation to complete the Giyani Bulk Water project meant to serve more than 55 villages in the area by September, as promised.
This despite assurances by Water and Sanitation Minister Senzo Mchunu and the embattled Lepelle Northern Water that the water issue would be resolved.
In February, the Pretoria News reported that new chairperson of Lepelle Northern Water, Dr Ndweleni Mphephu, had in an exclusive interview promised that the project would be completed by the end of September.
Speaking to the Pretoria News yesterday during the protest, chairperson of the Giyani Concerned Residents, Vusi Chauke, said scores of residents took to the streets at the crack of dawn to warn the department that if their water woes were not attended to, they would render the town ungovernable.
“We are just sick and tired of all the promises. We sometimes go for months without water when there has been a project that has been going on for years to provide water.
“Today (yesterday) all the shops were closed … and there was no one in town. Our shutdown was successful. They have promised that they would provide water by September, but have not done so and have not even communicated with us as to what was going on.”
Chauke added that after a series of meetings with the local municipality and a virtual meeting with Mchunu they had decided to suspend the shutdown yesterday. The minister promised to visit the area between Monday and Tuesday next week.
“We will halt the protest tomorrow (today) and if they don’t deliver on their promise we will take to the streets again … and this time it must be worse.”
The bulk water project has been in limbo since 2014 and wasted about R3.2 billion.
Part of the plan was to build a 320km pipeline from the Nandoni Dam to the villages. However, the project stalled due to allegations of corruption.
Matters came to a head when chief executive Phineas Legodi resigned amid allegations of fraud and corruption, relating to the awarding of a multimillion-rand waste management contract involving the collapsed project.
The Pretoria News had previously reported that the utility needed an additional R1bn to complete the project, which the department provided. This despite having wasted the R3.2bn.
Lepelle Northern Water spokesperson Yolande Nel said the project was approximately 57% complete.
“The Giyani Water Services project was initially set for completion in March 2023, which is still on schedule. Due to challenges posed by local business forums, that date could be impacted on.
“The Nandoni-Nsami pipeline project was expected to be completed by September 2022; however, it got impacted on by challenges relating to a stoppage of the project on the part of the traditional authority.”
Responding to the shutdown, Mchunu said: “The Giyani Water Project has always been a priority project for the Ministry; it is unfortunate and regrettable that it has taken this long to provide the people of Giyani with clean water but I want to assure the residents that we are hard at work and will see the project to completion.
“We have been in office for just over a year, yet we have managed to do more than what was done in the past three years – that should be an indication of our commitment to seeing this project to finality!
“The residents of Giyani and the local business forum, through the Mopani Multi stakeholder Forum have been taken on board in respect of the progress of the project and its delays; we have remained transparent – both in respect of the progress and financials.
“One of the issues which has caused a delay, which was addressed at one of the Multi stakeholder Forum meetings was the awarding of security contracts by the Department’s Construction North Unit.
“This project has been and still is the subject of a number of investigations by the Special Investigating Unit.
“Corruption has been the major contributor to the prolonged delays and as we have repeatedly maintained – every cent is being followed and those entrusted with those functions will have to account!”
Pretoria News