Minister of Water and Sanitation Senzo Mchunu has admitted that the government has failed to supply Maquassi Hills residents in the North West with potable water.
Mchunu said this after he toured two water treatment plants and saw aging infrastructure and a reservoir that had not been maintained for ten years.
This was cited as a factor that has hampered water provision in that region.
Mchunu said for now the government can admit that it has failed but cautioned that failure won’t be a permanent thing. He said his department has a challenge when it comes to meeting the water and sanitation needs of the people.
“We are putting a stop to that, that is why we are here and we were not here to play games. We have made decisions. From now onwards or at least in a very short term, after the second week of March, we will be talking about us getting on our way, we will be relegating that to the past.
“We have a challenge in terms of infrastructure, our approach is that everything that is broken, everything that requires renewal, in terms of water and sanitation infrastructure needs to be attended to,” he said.
After Mchunu’s departure angry residents blocked the N12 from Wolmaranstad to Klerksdorp with objects, claiming that Mchunu should have at least visited their township to see where they draw water and the health risks they face as a result of drinking contaminated water from unsafe water streams.
One of the rioters Dirontsho Marake said they do not like such demonstrations but it was the only way the government would address their situation.
“We are taking our children to school wearing dirty uniforms, now we are also expected to draw dirty water to cook for our children when they come back from school. But we are voting and we are doing everything that the government wants,” she said.
Mchunu is expected to visit Dinokana today to address the water challenges.
