Water Shortages to End - Mayor

ERRATIC water supply in the Greater Sekhukhune district will soon be history after the completion of various bulk water schemes.

Greater Sekhukhune district executive mayor, Cllr Namane Masemola, announced during the State of the District Address (Soda) last week that seven schemes aiming to supply household water to more than 160 villages were about to be implemented.

The schemes come as additions to the R9-billion De Hoop dam, an Accelerated Sustainable Growth Initiative of South Africa (ASGISA) project, which is currently under construction in Sekhukhune village, Tubatse, and is due to be completed in about three years.

Masemola pointed out that geological research has found that the greater part of Sekhukhune had unreliable underground water.

“Our intention (with these schemes) is to find lasting solutions to water supply challenges in the district,” Masemola said.
The schemes that Masemola referred to are Groblersdal to Luckau, Lebalelo bulk water supply, Mooihoek bulk water supply, Steelpoort to Jane Furse bulk water supply, Nkadimeng bulk water supply, Rietfontein-Spitskop bulk water supply, Olifantspoort South bulk water supply and Moutse bulk water supply.

A total of 166 villages will benefit from these schemes.

A feasibility study on the Moutse bulk water supply, said Masemola, had been completed but an abstraction licence from the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF) to draw water from the Loskop Dam was still pending.
Masemola added that studies aiming to find sustainable water supply solutions to Ga-Masemola and Ga-Marishane had been completed, and the details of these projects would be handled through the Integrated Development Programme (IDP) budget process.

A research report on Zaaiplaas and Orighstad, he said, was still pending. The report will identify a water source and produce a detailed project plan.

Masemola also said that as part of the vision to end water shortages in the district, a pararastal called Sekhukhune Water would be established to manage the schemes.

National treasury has allocated R600 000 to complete the technical work around its establishment and sustainability.