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Johannes Nethononda (left) shows headman Harry Nethsia the water he uses for bathing. Photo: Bernard Chiguvare.

Vari village the dried up home of Vhembe's 'forgotten people'

 

As the misty rain sifted down over parts of the region on Saturday, most people stayed indoors, hiding from the cold weather. At Vari village, however, Johannes Nethononda was outside, busy preparing several containers to catch and store the rainwater.

To the 79-year-old Nethononda, the rainy weather is a blessing that means that, for at least two to three days, he does not have to use the little of what is left of his pension money to buy water.

The borehole supplying water to Vari village stopped working last year. According to Harry Netshia, headman of the village, the Vhembe District Municipality is no longer repairing the borehole. This has caused misery for most of Vari’s residents.

“Really, there isn't much I can do. If it rains like this, I have to brave the weather and fill all my containers with water. This may last me at least two to three days before I have to pay some young men to fetch water from a local businessman who drilled a borehole long ago,” said Nethononda. It costs him R60 to fill up his 200-litre container.

When Limpopo Mirror visited Nethononda, he was busy outside arranging containers. A couple of metres away from the drums is a small pond where the rainwater accumulates. The water has turned yellowish, but Nethononda boils it and uses it for bathing.

“The authorities need our votes, but they do not deliver on their promises,” said Nethononda.

Headman Netshia is worried about the fate of the elderly and disabled people in his village. “We are the forgotten people. Vhembe District Municipality does not care about Vari community. I called them several times, but they keep on giving false promises,” said Netshia.

He said that he felt especially sorry for the residents who could not afford to buy water. He explained that this category of people fetched water from a nearby stream. “The stream is a dumping site for used baby diapers,” he said.

At times, according to Netshia, some people are driving, around selling water. To fill up a 500-litre container costs R350. “Most people in my area depend on social grants and cannot afford to buy water,” said Netshia.

 

 

Date:22 August 2021

By: Bernard Chiguvare

Bernard Chiguvare is a Zimbabwean-born journalist. He writes mainly for the online publication, Groundup.

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