As a result of the lack of water in the village, the isolated Tshikumbu-Tshivhangani residents in the Mulima area are forced to share water with animals.

The village’s headman, Musanda Vho-Joyce Mashapa, contacted Mirror for assistance, saying that her people were tired of drinking water with animals. When Mirror visited the village last Saturday, residents were busy collecting water at the same time when animals were also drinking on the other side. There were no water pipes erected in the village.

Mashapa, a female traditional leader, wants answers why her village is being isolated. “Our councillor does not even come to me when I call him, but he claims that he represents my village. It is 15 years of democracy, but my people do not even have water to drink,” she said.

Mashapa said that Ward 12 councillor Mashudu Mulovhedzi was being disrespectful to her because she is a woman. She added that the neighbouring Mashamba village, which falls under the same ward, has water all the time. “My people are suffering. We tried to travel six kilometres to the neighbouring Mashamba Village to collect water, but it is really not working because it is far,” she said.

Due to the high level of poverty in the village, not even one household has a borehole. Although the Vhembe District Municipality sank a borehole in the village, no water pipes have connected to it.

When contacted for comment, Cllr Mashudu Mulovhedzi dismissed claims that he was not attending to the problems of the community members in the village. “The village has a borehole, which is fully functional. It is just that there are no water taps connected and we are busy working towards connecting the pipes, so that the residents can have water at all times,” he said. When asked about the residents´ concern that he only concentrated on the Tshivhuyuni village where he was staying, Mulovhedzi said it was not true.

During Mirror´s visit to the area, the residents of Tshivhuyuni were collecting water from the taps in the streets, whereas at Tshikumbu-Tshivhangani there was no water. One could see clearly that the councillor was indeed taking better care of Tshivhuyuni residents than the ones of Tshikumbu Tshivhangani.

Mashapa said she was tired of Mulovhedzi´s actions. “He is dividing this ward and it is wrong. My people, like the residents of Tshivhuyuni, also deserve basic water,” complained Mashapa.

Mulovhedzi put down the phone while busy talking to a Mirror reporter about the matter.