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A day of victory for water supply to Makhado (Louis Trichardt): the 10 old boreholes have been refurbished with brand new pumps and are protected by concrete houses and security systems. From left to right are Mr Earnest Mabonyane of the VDM, Mr Wally Schultz, local AfriForum chairperson, and Mr Liano Viviers of Solidarity Development. Photo supplied.

AfriForum claims water victory for Makhado

 

A day of victory for the water supply to Makhado (Louis Trichardt) dawned when contractors handed over the 10 old boreholes to the Vhembe District Municipality (VDM). These boreholes supply water to the Bergh Street reservoir, one of the main reservoirs in town.

This week, the Bergh Street reservoir and the large Mowkop reservoir were reported to be 100% full,  which is indeed a water supply victory.

In light of this fact, the town’s crisis of not having water in the reservoirs was officially declared over by AfriForum’s head office. AfriForum approached the court in 2012 to force the VDM to adhere to their constitutional responsibilities regarding water supply to the community. The court had to be approached a second time, this time to bring a Contempt of Court Application against the municipal manager in his personal capacity.

“While we celebrate delivery on the mandate given to us by the community to restore the water flow to town – as ordered by the High Court - we warn the municipality that we retain the right to monitor their maintenance of newly renovated facilities. The court order demands a consistent water supply and we will not consider lifting the conditions dictated by this order until water flows uninterrupted,” said Mr Wally Schultz, local AfriForum chairperson.

AfriForum’s provincial coordinator, Mr Morné Mostert, said that inadequate service delivery, and especially in terms of water supply, was a big problem in municipal areas all over the country.

“AfriForum identified the need to establish local branches in communities across South Africa, empowering them to address such important issues. The branch in Makhado (Louis Trichardt) tackled the water crisis situation with huge success, which is an example of how communities can demand their constitutional rights at municipal level,” said Kallie Kriel, CEO of AfriForum. Once a branch reaches the 1 000 member mark,  a full-time manager can be paid to solve a crisis or ensure management and maintenance.

“Without intervention from AfriForum, the water crisis would never have been solved. We provided the framework and plans to the municipality, and it is their responsibility to ensure that the water supply is sustainable,” said Schultz.

Although his patience was sorely tried throughout the daily battle of the past years, the handing-over event on 24 July was rewarding for Shultz. All the old boreholes south and southwest of town have been refurbished. “When these boreholes are all on stream, pumping hundreds of thousands of litres back into our water supply system, along with the already-linked existing boreholes, our reservoirs will be constantly full and the town should have a consistent supply of water daily,” said Schultz.

Five of the 10 old boreholes are already pumping. The other five await electrification by the Makhado Municipality. After intervention by AfriForum, the electrification is back on track. “I have given instruction that the electrification must be done by Friday this week,” said Mutshinyali.

News - Date: 08 August 2014

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Linda van der Westhuizen

Linda van der Westhuizen has been with Zoutnet since 2001. She has a heart for God, people and their stories. Linda believes that every person is unique and has a special story to tell. It follows logically that human interest stories is her speciality. Linda finds working with people and their leaders in the economic, educational, spiritual and political arena very rewarding. “I have a special interest in what God is doing in our town, province and nation and what He wants us to become,” says Linda.

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