Work at the new reservoir at Mowkop in Louis Trichardt has been terminated and the site is deserted. This came as bad news for residents who hoped that the new reservoir would put an end to the continuous interruptions of the town’s water supply.

A reliable source says that the contract was terminated because of slow progress by the contractor. The new reservoir should have been completed in August last year. According to the source, the contractor is disputing the termina-tion of his contract. It is possible that the appointment of a new contractor has been suspended until the court case is finalised. The bulk water supply from the Nandoni Dam is scheduled to be completed in about twenty months, which is at the end of 2010 or the beginning of 2011.

For about a year now, residents in the new part of town where the reservoir is situated could not really see progress from the outside. Mr Giel Nel, whose daily exercise takes him uphill to the reservoir, says that for a long time there has been no visible progress.

In the meantime, residents of new town who are dependent on the Mowkop reservoir for their water supply still suffer daily. For many months they only have water for a few hours of the day.

During a visit to the Mowkop reservoir on March 31, together with the spokesperson of the Soutpansberg Ratepayers Association, Mr Herman Smith, the site was found deserted. Some of the temporary corrugated iron structures have been demolished. All equipment has been removed, except for a bulldozer standing among high weeds. The only sound was a radio playing, lying on the ground at a corrugated iron structure, probably to house a guard, but the door was locked and no one answered. The site was open and unguarded.

According to the notice board at the site, the contracting period is 12 months and the contractor is NW Civil Contractors.

Mr Pieter Louw of Rendeals Four, the consulting engineers on the project, last week declined to comment on the situation at Mowkop. “I can’t say anything. The case is sub judice. I am going into a meeting with the Makhado Municipality. They are our client and their spokesperson should speak to you.”

It seemed, however, that all information regarding the development at Mowkop is treated like a hot potato. No one wants to say what is happening or when the work will be resumed and completed. The local municipal spokesperson declined to give any information whatsoever on the new reservoir and furnished a contact number of a relevant person in the Vhembe District Municipality. The cellular number appeared not to be in working order. The media questions were consequently directed to the Vhembe District Municipality Spokesperson, Mr Mamathuba, who has offered no response in 18 days.