– Vhembe District Municipality has not honoured key commitments made to the Public Protector following persistent water shortages in Louis Trichardt, Makhado Municipality.
– The DA has submitted questions to the municipality seeking details of the municipality’s implementation of the commitments made.
– The DA will not allow the Municipality to make commitments to the Public Protector to satisfy an investigation and then allow them to disappear once scrutiny moves elsewhere.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Vhembe District has submitted detailed questions to Vhembe Mayor Miyelani Chauke and Municipal Manager Zwannda Kutama seeking proof of its implementation of commitments made to the Office of the Public Protector following its investigation into failures by the Makhado Municipality in providing reliable and consistent water supply to residents of Louis Trichardt.
Residents of Louis Trichardt cannot be expected to continue living with unreliable access to water while deadlines come and go and commitments made by the Municipality remain unfulfilled – and the municipality cannot make commitments to the Public Protector to satisfy an investigation and then allow them to disappear once scrutiny moves elsewhere.
The DA lodged a formal complaint with the Public Protector in January 2026 after residents in Makhado, including communities supplied through the Mowkop Reservoir, endured prolonged and unreliable water supply.
In response, Vhembe submitted a detailed action plan in March 2026 committing itself to specific interventions and deadlines, including:
- Stabilising the Mowkop Reservoir by April 2026;
- Repairing critical valves by May 2026;
- Deploying additional water tankers where necessary;
- Providing weekly communication to affected communities;
- Refurbishing the Makhado Park boreholes by August 2026;
- Replacing priority reticulation components and installing pressure-management systems by September 2026; and
- Providing monthly technical progress reports from May 2026.
The Public Protector subsequently issued its report on 5 May 2026 and specifically called on the district municipality to actively address the Makhado water crisis in accordance with the time-bound commitments it made in its plan.
However, following discussions with residents in affected areas, serious questions have arisen as to whether a number of these commitments have been honoured.
The DA believes reliable water service delivery requires competent management, proper maintenance and accountability. Money meant for water services must be reinvested in water infrastructure, skilled technical professionals must be empowered to manage these systems, and municipalities must be held accountable when they fail to deliver.
Residents should not have to live from tanker to tanker and promise to promise. A functioning municipality maintains its infrastructure and ensures that when residents turn on their taps, water comes out.
Where deadlines have been missed, Vhembe must explain why. Where commitments remain outstanding, residents deserve clear revised deadlines and urgent implementation.
Access to water is a constitutional right, not a favour from the Municipality.