Life is Hard in Motlhabe, mining affected village without water
Budhah/Mothalbe/BuaMC/15th July 
2016
Sanibona bathandeki. The is a serious issue of water access in Motlhabe (found in Rustenburg). Motlhabe village is divided into 5 sections. Only 1 section doesn’t struggle much about water. It has been years now those people have been struggling with access to water. Promises are made each year in and out and the are no changes.
Life Is very hard for those people, the Municipality has installed two JOJO tanks in 1 section and the mine nearby has installed in all other sections. That did not solve the Issue because they are filled after a very long time. They can take weeks even months.
‘Its truly hard for us because we are un-employed, but we have to spend R5 for a 25 liter of water that won’t even last a day. My kids have to bath everyday when they go to school.
I have to cook and wash their uniforms. How am I going to afford that when I’m unemployed” said a Mother of and a wife who has been a member of the community for more than couple of decades now.
This issue, for some people is a business opportunity . Some of those who have boreholes they allow you to use the water as much as u like But every month end you pay R150. Some they deliver with donkies. For 10 twenty five liters of water its is R50.
Mr Maxavana from a section named 16, charges R2 for size you will be filling. He made it clear that he is not in business, he is trying to help his neighbors. He only charge them those two rands for electricity.
It is really sad to see an old grand mother of about more than 60 years pushing a wheel-barrow for a distance of more than 400 meters to get water. Its sad because our grandmother these days they hardly bath, they hardly wash their laundry because water is expensive, in the old days life was easy because the rivers were never dry. This issue is truly affecting the community, because nowadays before you think of building your parents their dream house you must have a borehole first and it is expensive.
