While the Vhembe District Municipality (VDM) was busy wrapping up its integrated-development-plan (IDP) consultative meeting for the Thulamela Local Municipality (TLM) at the Thohoyandou Indoor Sports Centre on Wednesday, 26 April, hundreds of people from the surrounding rural villages marched from the Viva garage in Sibasa to the VDM’s offices in Thohoyandou, demanding an immediate supply of clean water.

Residents from 17 villages, including Bunzhe, Makononi, Ha-Magidi, and Mbilwi, participated in the march, shouting and waving placards, declaring that they did not want to share dirty water from the rivers with animals anymore; that they needed clean water from their taps, and not from water tankers, and that the VDM as water-services authority must address the scarcity of water immediately.

Community leader Mr Seemise Tovhowani said the march was meant to show that they were running out of patience. “Water is a source of life, and without clean water, rural communities are forced to drink the same dirty water as the animals. This is a health hazard for human beings. We have waited for such a long time, believing that the VDM would eventually address the issue of water shortages at the affected villages, but nothing happens, and the people are suffering,” said Tovhowani.

Tovhowani said they had handed a memorandum of demands over to the VDM officials, which indicated that villagers from four wards under the TLM were in need of clean running water. “We need water 24/7. We have water pipes at our villages, but there is no water coming from our taps.”

The protesters gave the VDM 14 days to respond to their demands, otherwise, they warned, they were ready to organise a total shutdown in all the affected areas, until their demands were met.

VDM councillor Steven Pandelani, who received the memorandum on behalf of the executive mayor, Dowelani Nenguda, said the district was aware that most of the villages around Vhembe were without clean water and that they were working around the clock to address the issue.

Pandelani promised to give the communities’ list of demands to the executive mayor as soon as he was available, and said he trusted that Nenguda would look at it and find a way to solve their problem.