Access to water remains a dream for parts of Elias Motsoaledi and Ephraim Mogale local municipalities.

EMLM/EPMLM – The Bolsheviks Party of South Africa (BPSA) has raised concerns on water crisis that continue to jeopardize lives of residents in parts of Elias Motsoaledi and Ephraim Mogale local municipalities.

According to the BPSA the persistent water crisis in the two Sekhukhune district’s local municipalities reflect the serious health hazards to which communities are exposed on daily basis amid COVID-19 pandemic.

BPSA said the situation also served as a compelling factor for people to violate lockdown regulations as they were left no choice but to leave their yards to fetch water at wells and streams that they share with animals.

Seun Mogotji, BPSA leader, said the water tanks availed by Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation Deputy Minister, David Mahlobo recently as an interim measure to quell residents’ thirst during lockdown were not serving their desired intention.

Mogotji requested immediate intervention of Deputy Minister Mahlobo, Sekhukhune District Municipality, as a water authority, and Lepelle Northern Water to help communities with access to clean and drinkable water.

“The 80 x 10 000 JoJo tanks were distributed with an intension to supply adequate water to combat COVID-19. Therefore, the exercise should not be fruitless and futile. It is in this regard that the deputy minister is requested to come and unlock this project as it it currently not bearing any fruits or serving its initial purpose,” said Mogotji.

Mogotji said as a party they hoped that the matter would be addressed speedily with consideration of the COVID-19 pandemic and the national regulations in the current lockdown.

“Deputy Minister Mahlobo instructed the Multi Stakeholder Steering Committee (MSSC) to at least meet every week to fast track the process of putting in place the necessary measures in this first phase of the short term implementation of the project but Sekhukhune District Municipality officials overruled the directive from the deputy minister in a meeting held at Elias Motsoaledi Local Municipality chamber on 20 April. That is why this is happening. The MSSC will now have to wait for a month for a meeting to be convened and no information is forthcoming to the members of the steering committee on the project,” said Mogotji.

Moloko Moloto, SDM Communications Manager, said they were awaiting delivery of trucks from Lepelle Northern Water, an implementing agent of Moutse Drought Relief project, on behalf of the Department of Water and Sanitation that would be used to replenish the tanks in question.

Moloto said in the meantime, they were using six of their own trucks as the district municipality to service the area. “However, we admit they are not enough. Preferably, we need a total of twenty trucks to sufficiently service Moutse area alone,” said Moloto