The water crisis in Tshikota township, located in the Makhado municipality, continues to worsen, with residents, mainly women and children, facing daily struggles to access clean water. The situation has become so dire that residents are forced to buy water from borehole owners or water vendors, while others rely on solar-driven boreholes for their water needs.
Thabang Tlou, the secretary of the South African National Civic Organisation, explains that the water challenges in Tshikota began a decade ago when the water authority was handed over to the Vhembe District Municipality. Since then, residents have been experiencing frequent water shortages, with pipe bursts taking weeks to be repaired, leaving the community without water for extended periods.
Despite efforts to address the issue, such as the donation of three boreholes to the community in 2020 and a borehole donation from Wearne mine in November 2023, residents still face unreliable water access. Ward councillor Dimakatso Sebola has even reached out to the municipality and the mine for assistance, but the situation remains unresolved.
The burden of the water crisis falls heavily on women in the community, who are often seen pushing wheelbarrows filled with water containers for long distances. One resident, 71-year-old Lilian Chihwindi, has to hire someone to fetch water for her, as she can no longer push a wheelbarrow herself. She pays R10 per trip, with each trip consisting of four 25-liter containers of water.
The water challenges in Tshikota are not unique, as neighboring areas such as Louis Trichardt town and other rural villages in the Kutama Sinthumule area also face water shortages. Some residents have taken matters into their own hands by drilling boreholes themselves, rather than waiting for the municipality to address the issue.
Dr. Ferrial Adam, executive manager at Water Community Action Network (WaterCAN), attributes the lack of consistent water supply to neglect of rural areas, corruption, and mismanagement. She points to the ongoing Giyani Water Project, which started in 2014 and is yet to be completed, as an example of unfulfilled promises and lack of accountability.
Adam emphasizes the need for urgent action to ensure all Limpopo residents have access to clean water, as relying on contaminated rivers and streams poses serious health risks. She calls for those responsible for the mismanagement of water infrastructure projects to be held accountable and for tangible solutions to be implemented to address the ongoing water crisis in the region.
Despite efforts to engage with the Vhembe District Municipality, the lack of response to media inquiries indicates a concerning lack of transparency and accountability in addressing the water challenges faced by communities like Tshikota. As residents continue to struggle to meet their basic water needs, urgent action is needed to ensure access to clean and reliable water for all. The world is changing at a rapid pace, and with it, our understanding of what it means to be human is evolving. Advances in technology, science, and medicine are pushing the boundaries of what was once thought possible, and the implications for our future are profound.
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