Residents are feeling the pinch as taps run dry in Limpopo’s capital and in its biggest township Seshego.
Seshego is the home of EFF leader Julius Malema and with a general election looming in just a month, the intervention may impact on how some residents vote in Extension 76. The township which falls under the Polokwane Local Municipality is under ANC rule. But there’s growing sentiment among frustrated residents that their votes need to go elsewhere this time.
The General Household survey released by Statistics SA last year revealed that access to water actually declined in six provinces between 2002 and 2021.
“The largest decline was observed in Limpopo (-4,4 percentage points), Mpumalanga (-4,3 percentage points) and North West (-2,2 percentage points) The declines, however, belie the fact that more households had access to piped water in 2021 than two decades earlier.”
Community activist Vincent Kunutu says the water problems have caused much frustration in the township and some people have expressed an opinion they would not be voting in the upcoming general election.
“We have advised people to vote. They need to exercise their right to vote on election day and no one should be stopped from voting,” says Kunutu who leads the Seshego Community Against Crime and Gangsterism (SCACG).
“This water issue has affected the community so much. The court can’t function when there is no water. Clinics are also affected. Some schools have managed to buy jojo tanks which has helped,” he says.
The Polokwane Local Municipality has announced plans to drill boreholes as a measure to augment the water shortages.
Mayor John Mpe said the municipality “has made a decisive move to prioritize the drilling of boreholes as a strategic solution to augment water resources.”
Mpe said the decision to focus on borehole drilling comes as part of a comprehensive strategy to mitigate water deficits and ensure the sustained provision of this essential resource to communities across Polokwane.
“The municipality has wasted no time in initiating this vital project, with boreholes already being installed in strategic locations such as the Extensions augmenting water supply to Legae la Batho, Luthuli Park, and surrounding areas,” Mpe said.
Dipuo Maphanga on whose home the borehole was drilled says it has brought much relief to the area.
“Before this we really had serious problems. People were forced to spent money buying water from trucks. And in this area most people are unemployed,” says Dipuo whose unemployed parents are battling to settle a R33 000 municipal bill.
“We have no running water. But the municipality keeps sending us a bill. What are we paying for when they don’t supply us with water?” says Dipuo’s mother Sarah Maphanga who was forced out of work due to illness. – news@mukurukuru.co.za
