A senior citizen Mma Mokobane of Tafelkop within the ambit of the Elias Motsoaledi Local Council, when fetching water, from a local source, lost her balance and the fell into the well and drowned.
Ironically only after two days, the family started to be worried from not seeing her, and traced her tasks to the well, and then shockingly discovered that her lifeless body was floating in the well, and that she had already passed on.
This is but a mere example of the struggle that the residents in the area have to endure to be able to have water which, ironically is a basic right guaranteed in the Constitution of the Country.
The incident is in no way isolated, but is more appropriately a symbol of the dire situation that residents find themselves in to have access to water, an incident that should have never happened.
At and during the time of the incident, the Honourable Minister of Water Affairs was visiting the area, but sadly, and this is what makes the situation so ludicrous, was using the public platform at the time, not to address the severe and dire shortage of access to water in the area, and what would be done to alleviate the issue, but rather opted to, at the time, publicly announced her support for ‘number one’, instead of addressing the issue and her mandate that she has been elected to address.
It is now three (3) weeks, where the situation has deteriorated to such an extent that the residents in the area, have absolutely no access to water at all. Apparently, Sekhukhune District Council, whom in terms of the Municipal Structures and Systems Act, has an obligation to supply the residents with access to water, has failed to pay their dues and liabilities to JS Maroka, with whom they have a memorandum of agreement to supply bulk water to the area and as a consequence JS Maroka no longer supplying water in terms of the arrangement.
In an attempt to try and have remedial ameliorated actions taken, the local Ward Councilor, Fanie “Seun” M Mogotji, tried to get hold of the Mayor of Sekhukhune, or alternatively the spokesperson for the Council, but all efforts being in vain – the respective representatives not answering the dire call for assistance in the matter.
The residents of the area are in dire need of their right of access to water, but ironically in the meeting that the Minister had with local representatives, each delegated person was supplied with bottled, distilled water in front of him at the meeting. One need to wonder if she at the time of drinking the water, in any way thought seriously of the plight of the people in the area.
It is indeed more than apparent that the Sekhukhune District Council has indeed failed in their mandate and responsibility as defined in the two Acts that govern the delegation for the supply of the water, and to delegate this responsibility to the local Elias Motsoaledi Local Council, would perhaps result in a more advantageous positions for the residents, as the Local Council, would have loyalty to supply the service to residents, whereas Sekhukhune District Council, by innuendo has no loyalty towards the residents of Moutse.
What more comes to the fore, is that the Sekhukhune District Council, seem to fail to utilize the grant which they receive from Treasury, relevant to be utilized for access to water, ineffective and inefficiently resulting in the detriment of all those that were supposed to have benefitted from it.
Way back then, when the area, was faced with demarcation as a consequence to the fact that it was labeled as a cross boundary area, the then province, Mpumalanga, already had long term plans in the process, to alleviate the problem of access to water, but with the final demarcation of the area into Limpopo, the residents as a consequence have been suffering for more than 15 years as Limpopo have no plans in place to address the issue and supply water to the area.
Politicians and more so Honourable Ministers, should start acting on their mandate, and not abuse the privilege of the position, to be politically motivated. A basic service should be provided for all, and not only for those that support the ‘alleged ruling party’ that is so dismally failing in their community responsibility.
Wake up, as the coffee will be ice-cold, if you leave the matter unattended which could have serious consequences for all, and this is not a threat but only a mere address to source relief in the matter.