"What do they have to hide that we do not already know?" That was one of the questions when the SRPA chairperson, Mr herman Smith, was chased from the Albasini water reticulation plant.

"You people always take photographs," was what the caretaker at the dam told Mr Herman Smith of the Soutpansberg Ratepayers Association when he was ordered to leave the plant on Sunday, April 13. Mr Smith regularly inspects areas of concern to the taxpayers, such as the water purification plant and sewage problem areas.

A couple of weeks ago, he was still allowed at the reticulation plant and he said that he found it in the same disrepair as months ago.

"As far as the water purification is concerned, nothing has changed and it is still not safe to drink," the SRPA wrote in a letter to the municipal manager, dated April 15.

On Sunday, Mr Smith was not allowed to see if improvements were taking place as promised.

"It seems that nothing has changed except the attitude of the caretaker who, in the past, also complained to us about the situation at the plant. All of a sudden he became almost aggressive when I asked him how the maintenance was progressing. He asked me to leave. I left because it seemed that we are not welcome to inspect the plant to make sure that Louis Trichardt is supplied with clean, healthy water. He was probably only executing instructions from his seniors who have something to hide that we already know," Smith said.

A national radio report regarding the water problems of the town caused a commotion in October last year when Mr Carel Breytenbach of the SRPA was interviewed about the town’s water situation. It was reported that all samples taken at strategic water points tested positive for dangerous coliforms such as the E Coli bacteria.

Dr Natasha Potgieter of the University of Venda’s microbiological water research laboratory said in the Zoutpansberger that E Coli was a good indicator of (poor) water quality but that one set of data was not conclusive. The notorious answer of the municipal manager, Ms Faith Muthambi, that she was not aware of the problem, was also reported and elicited a lot of responses from readers.

Since then, DWAF (Department of Water Affairs and Forestry) has commenced with an effort to address the water problems by appointing a local engineering firm. The time frame given was three to four months.

In the meantime, taxpayers still want to see changes for themselves and not only listen to promises. That prompts the question whether the SRPA will in future be allowed at the water purification plant.

At the time of going to press, Mr Smith of the SPRA and the spokesperson of the Makhado Municipality, Mr Louis Bobodi, had scheduled a meeting to discuss the issue.