While the country marks Water Week, themed “20 Years of Water Delivery for Social and Economic Development,” on the ground, it’s a different picture.
64 villages in Thembisile Hani local municipality in Mpumalanga have little to celebrate.
Today marks #WorldWaterDay under the @UN-theme of “Leaving no-one behind”. We are mobilising Water Source Partnerships to bring together communities, corporations, govt and non-profits to collectively tackle SA’s #water challenges. https://t.co/4q13Dc4EVH #JourneyofWater pic.twitter.com/j1BZ6zZwWN
— WWF South Africa (@WWFSouthAfrica) March 22, 2019
Manaleng resident Sophie Monyayi says her tap has been dry for years. She has to walk long distances to get water, a scarce commodity in the area.
Desperate for water, Mathyzenloop residents have resorted to an illegal connection. With little communication from the municipality, some residents believe corruption is at play.
The municipality has denied these allegations, saying it has a demand of 74 megalitres daily and, currently it receives less than half of that from Rand Water.
A local project yields another 2.5 megalitres, but this is distributed through trucks rather than connecting taps.
