WATER CRISIS AT TSHAMASHANSI VILLAGES

PRETTY NDABA

21 June 2024

Pretty Ndaba

Tshamahansi village

Mogalakwena Municipality

Limpopo province

There is a shortage of water in Tshamahansi and Magongoa villages, the community is forced to go to Magongoa dam to do the laundry every week, The crisis is an emergency that needs the intervention of the municipality and the councillors, and women are affected more than anyone else because from where they stay to the dam is 30-45 minutes walking distance.

They use wheelbarrows to fetch water and also put clothes and blankets when they want to do laundry at the dam.

The municipality no longer supplies water to the community, the person who is responsible to deliver water to community members is now selling water to them. The person who is responsible to deliver water is located right here in Tshamahansi and community members know him very well. They just don’t know the procedure, otherwise they would have reported this man. One woman said that they will never ever vote again for councillors who will later fail to accomplish their promises. She said; “how do you deal with an issue of waking up in the morning with your little kids to the river, where it is cold and is risky to the kids because they might be sick…Now some women go with their children to the dam, It is risky because one mistake a child can throw herself/himself inside the dam.

It is recorded that many kids passed on because of that dam, they were trying to swim. Some tried to drink the water because they didn’t know the water is deadly, we are talking about 5-11 years children.

It has been so long since the ward councillor promised the community that they will fix the problem, but up to date no implementation. Even the municipality doesn’t engage the community about when will the problem be resolved, so that the community can have access to clean drinking water.

I think the solution is to report the Mogalakwena Local Municipality to the Human Rights Commission and the department of water and sanitation. This may include organizations that might assist in taking the Municipality to court, as it is their obligation to provide basic services to residents within the jurisdiction of Mogalakwena.

Now MACUA ORGANIZATION will be writing a letter to the municipality in relation to water crisis, and they want to bring back the order in these two communities…MACUA declared that they will be pushy until they see Tshamahansi and Magongoa being rescued