The refurbishment of the Vondo Water Scheme in Phiphidi is causing a serious water shortage in Vhembe.

According to Vhembe District Municipality spokesperson Mr Matidzi Ralushai, the refurbishment at the scheme started last Monday. Ralushai says the two-month programme will cause a serious water shortage for the majority of people in and around Thohoyandou.

"In many areas, people will not get water for two to three days. This will be the case for the next two months, as we are busy refurbishing our aging water schemes. We know this will cause a lot of inconvenience for our community, who will struggle to get water. The same situation will apply at the Albasini Dam,” he said.

He stated that at the Vondo scheme they were busy replacing valves and pipes and at Albasini they must replace the high-booster pressure pump. "The refurbishment will help to improve the state of water delivery to our people. We are requesting our people to be patient with us, as there is nothing we can do, except following this process to make sure that they get a good supply of water," says Ralushai.

In areas where there are boreholes, like Mtititi, Ralushai says they are facing a serious challenge of vandalism like theft of copper and electric cables. The areas of Bungeni and Nzhelele have numerous illegal connections in the supply to the community.