by Cllr Hasani Shivambu – DA Councillor – Greater Giyani Municipality
| Date: 20 April 2020 |
| Release: Immediate |
| The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Limpopo will request that the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) investigate the Mopani District Municipality for failing to provide water to the residents of Siyandani, Hlakini, Phikela and Ximausa Villages in Giyani.
Although some of these villages do have boreholes, they have been without water for years since the boreholes are either dysfunctional or vandalized. During our oversight inspections in these villages, the DA has noted that many residents in Ximausa village have been without water since 2018 and they have resorted to fetch water from the riverbed. This has also meant that residents have been forced to transgress the social distancing lockdown regulations in order to ensure that they have access to water. See the pictures here, here, here and here. There are communal taps in villages such as Siyandani, Hlakini and Phikela but many of them are without water. In some cases only one tap is functional and the entire community has to share this single tap. The water is also unreliable and inconsistent as the water does not come on a daily basis. Many residents are forced to wake up in the wee hours of the morning to queue in line for to fetch water from the communal tap twice a week. This is a severe burden on those who cannot stand these long queues and have to buy water from those who have boreholes at their homes.Surprisingly, a borehole was drilled in Ximausa village over the weekend after a massive public outcry. After so many years of begging and struggling to get access to water in this village it took a national emergency to gain access.It has been nearly six years since the Giyani Bulk Water Supply project started in Limpopo in 2014. It is estimated that nearly R3.5 billion has been spent to date. However, despite the massive amount being spent and various promises by government, this project remains unfinished and various villages in Giyani still continue to struggle without access to water. Thousands of residents in the Mopani District, like many others in in the country are still waiting for water tankers, as promised by the Minister of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation , Lindiwe Sisulu a few weeks ago. Failure to provide water is in clear violation of Section 27 of the Constitution and these residents have been denied their Constitutional rights to have access to clean water. The call to wash hands regularly to curb Covid-19 is unrealistic for these residents, as they do not have access to clean water. They continue to put their lives at risk and they fear that they may contract this deadly disease. The DA urges the Human Rights Commission to prioritise this matter and ensure that the investigation gets underway with immediate effect to save the lives of these residents. We call upon the Minister and the various Mayors involved to rectify this situation immediately. |
| Media Enquiries |
| Cllr Hasani Shivambu
DA Councillor – Greater Giyani Municipality Cllr Johanna Zitha DA Councillor – Greater Giyani Municipality |