How many households in the area under the jurisdiction of the Makhado Municipality do not have access to basic services?

Included in the key developmental issues of the municipality is the lack of basic services, as documented in the situational analysis of the most recent integrated development plan (IDP). Just more than 38 000 households do not have water.

The total population of the Makhado Municipal area is estimated at close to half a million (495 261 to be exact) and contains close to 130 000 households. Submissions of ward committees suggest that the number of households has increased to just more than 143 000 households, a figure that will have to be confirmed by the latest census.

Therefore, 29% of all households in the municipal area lack a basic water supply, according to the “services backlog as from 29 February” this year. The recent escalating protests and actions to demand or enforce the supply of water could indicate that even more households suffer without basic water provision. The RDP minimum levels of water provision are that provision should be within 200 metres from the household, water provision should be at least 20 to 25 litres per person per day, and people should have access to a water source at least 98% of the time. Therefore, they shouldn’t be without water for more than seven days. 

The water sources of the municipality include dams and boreholes.

“In some areas within the municipality, boreholes are drying up, and the water consumption level at the Air Force Base is extremely high. The base sources its water from the underground reserves and, as such, this places a severe burden on the water source,” reads the document.

Administratively, the municipal area is divided into Makhado (Louis Trichardt), Dzanani, Vuwani and Waterval. The Waterval region has the largest backlog in water supply, followed by Dzanani.

A total of 51% of households have a backlog in sanitation services.

Just more than 88 000 households (68%) do not have refuse removal services, according to the situational analysis. Under another section, the infrastructure analysis, the figure is higher, namely nearly 120 000 households that lack refuse removal below basic requirements. Only one permitted landfill site (at Vondeling) exists and that site is currently overflowing.

“The process of establishing a new landfill site is underway and there are also plans in the pipeline to develop waste drop-off terminals in rural communities,” reads the document.

A worrying 13% of households live in housing that is below the required standard. Just more than 21 000 households (16%) have a backlog in electricity, according to the situational analysis. In the infrastructure section, a higher figure of close to 35 000 households is mentioned.

“There is a serious concern with the continued vandalism and theft of electrical infrastructure,” states the document.