HA-NTHABALALA – The thirsty Communities of Nthabalala are blaming the Makhado Municipality and the MEC for Local Governmnent and Housing, Mr Joe Maswanganyi, for officially launching three incomplete water reticulation projects in their villages a fortnight ago.

According to the civic chairperson, Mr Piet Mavhungu Ramaligela, dams were filled with water pumped from the Mafadza water reticulation, not from the three projects developed through the Consolidated Municipal Infrastructure Programme. He added that the contractor of the three projects vanished before the projects were completed last year in June.

Ramaligela said that, since the official handing over of the water projects, residents have not yet received a drop of water from their water taps. "We have not yet benefited from this project. They still have to appoint another contractor to complete the unfinished work," he said.

The three projects are Riverplaats, Mpofu, Maduwa, Mphuphuledzhi and Ramaru, Masethe, Manyima water reticulation projects.

When asked if something had been done since Mirror published a story on shabby jobs done on the RDP houses at his village on January 9, 2004, Ramaligela said nothing has been done and it seems as nobody cares about the matter. "I am not fighting against the government, but if things are not done procedurally, I must tell the public," he adds.

He further revealed that, due to the rain that has faalen in the past weeks, six families are homeless after their mud houses collapsed. "There is a disaster management committee at the municipality, but those people have never come to asses the damage caused by the rains in our area," he said.

The Director Corporate Services at the Makhado Municipality, Mr Ntsieni Magwala, said that the municipality is highly disappointed that some of the people who claim to know better are misleading the public. He added that the Vhembe District Municipality is, as from July 1, 2003, the authority responsible for water.

"It is incorrect and misleading to tell the public that the projects opened by MEC Maswanganyi are not supplying water to the people. The municipality wants to put it categorically that the projects are providing water to the people."