The community of Maname Paradise outside Louis Trichardt is crying out to the authorities, as there has been no water in Maname for more than eight years, forcing them to use the local dam as water source, the same dam the live-stock drink from.

According to a mother of two, Ms Gladis Tshivhula, they have raised the issue of the lack of water and electricity to their councillor, Cllr Elisa Maboho, several times. "Drinking dirty water with animals is a reality and we are used to doing so. We use the water from the dam to wash our clothes, bath and cook food with,” she said.

Tshivhula (36) said that there used to be a municipal truck which delivered water to the village, but it had stopped, with no valid reason provided. She said the municipality constructed one borehole, which is also not working, as the pump is said to have broken.

Despite the fact that children also swim in the dam, the residents continue collecting water for domestic use.

During Mirror´s visit to the village on Wednesday, our reporters discovered that not even a single water pipe had been connected in the whole village, which clearly shows that the village has been without water for years. Other residents say that they have never seen a drop of water coming from a tap ever since they started staying in the village eight years ago.

The residents also complained about not having electricity in the village. "We were told to pay R100 for electricity by the Makhado Local Municipality, which we did in 2003, but nothing happened. We had been robbed of the money that we work so hard for," Tshivhula further complained.

The spokesperson for the Vhembe District Municipality, Mr Matodzi Ralushai, however, claims that the water tanker is still supplying the village with water. He admitted that since the establishment of the village, water pipes have never been connected. "We are busy trying to fix the pump for the borehole that was erected in the village. We are working on the issue of water pipes being connected in the village," he said.

He added that it was indeed the government´s responsibility to provide water to the people. He acknowledged being aware of the fact that the residents collect water at the dam where animals also drink.