Residents of the water-scarce Mageva village outside Giyani in Limpopo are calling for a permanent solution to the area’s severe water challenges. Giyani is still without an adequate water supply despite millions of rands being spent on the Nandoni-Giyani bulk water project.

Water and Sanitation Minister Senzo Mchunu will visit the project this week during a three-day tour of the area. It was launched in 2014 but is yet to provide supply water to about 55 villages in the area.

Residents say they hope Mchunu’s visit will speed up the supply of clean water to the area.

“I am here to do my laundry. I rely on this water for all my household uses, because in the village we buy water R4 a tub,” says one of the residents.

Another resident says, “We want the minister to resolve the water problem. There are two boreholes that are not electrified. We wish that can be resolved.”

Minister’s nationwide tour 

Water and Sanitation Department Spokesperson, Sputnik Ratau says the minister’s nationwide tour is aimed at assessing challenges that lead to water shortages.

Mchunu has already visited the Free State and Eastern Cape.

Ratau says the minister will also try to establish the reasons behind the delays in the finalisation of the Giyani bulk water project.

“The project is part of what the SIU is looking at, yesterday the minister and the deputy ministers had a meeting with the SIU where the SIU was taking the minister into confidence in terms of the work that they are doing. Therefore, I believe that the minister needs to familiarise himself with where the project is to understand what the hiccups are, basically what the minister is looking for is to see how quickly the issue can be resolved.”