“We want water or everything will stop”

Despite the fact that more than R600 million was set aside for water projects in the Vhembe district, residents of Ha-Dumasi and Budeli, just at the doorstep of the multi-billion-rand Nandoni Dam, are still without water.

Thousands of angry residents from these villages, who are complaining that the water which is at their doorstep is being used at faraway villages while they do not have water, have given the Vhembe District municipality an ultimatum.

They need water within seven days or they will close the valves at Nandoni Dam, so that no one can drink from their dam. They have also threatened to close the main road between Thohoyandou and Malamulele if their demands are not met.

Last Monday, protestors waving placards and singing freedom songs took to the streets and marched a few kilometres to the Nandoni Dam purification plant, where they handed over a memorandum to the acting Vhembe district municipality's mayor, Cllr Lucas Manyuha.

Things nearly took a dramatic turn when the angry residents demanded that Mayor Tshitereke Matibe receive the memorandum himself. “All we need is water and no more empty promises that were fed to us for many years. We have been complaining about the same problem for years and all we get are empty promises all the time. Of late we have heard that R600 million has been budgeted for water projects in Vhembe. Why don’t they start with us here who are close to the dam?” said Nyadzani Makhado, the local Budeli civic secretary.

The chairperson of the Dumasi civic association, Mr Ludwig Ndonyane, said when the Department of Water Affairs moved people from the catchment area, they made several promises, which have not been fulfilled. “They promised us water and for our animals, but till now nothing has been done."

The spokesperson for the Vhembe district municipality, Mr Matodzi Ralushai, said there was water at Dumasi and Budeli. "The only problem we have here is reticulation, which we hope will be solved soon. If you can go there, you will see that these people have water, but we still have villages where there is an acute shortage of water. Bit by bit we are going there and our people will all have water,” he said.

Date:31 October 2014

By: Elmon Tshikhudo

Elmon Tshikhudo started off as a photographer. He developed an interest in writing and started submitting articles to local as well as national publications. He became part of the Limpopo Mirror family in 2005 and was a permanent part of the news team until 2019.

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