The South African Water and Sanitation Minister, Senzo Mchunu, has reaffirmed that the Ministry and departments are committed to providing water to the communities.
Mchunu mentioned this during the launch of the Olifants Management Model Programme (OMM) at the Ga-Malekana Tribal Authority, outside Burgersfort in Limpopo.
“The OMM Programme aims to fast-track portable and bulk raw water infrastructure with a view of ensuring that the nearby communities and the surrounding mining, including agriculture and other companies in Sekhukhune District, Polokwane, and Mogalakwena Local Municipalities are supplied with adequate water by 2030.
“This is a very good example of collective efforts; it is a three-dimensional partnership between the government, the private sector, and more importantly the people of this area.
This is a huge investment to the current and future generations, and it needs to be maintained,” he said.
Mchunu pointed out that the programme which is the result of a collaboration between Water and Sanitation and the Lebalelo Water Users Association (LWUA) epitomizes the effectiveness of public-private partnerships and will certainly go a long way as far as addressing challenges in the water and sanitation sector is concerned.
The project scope includes enabling water supply to Mogalakwena by moving a portion of the Lebalelo scheme’s current supply from Flag Boshielo Dam to De Hoop Dam and developing reticulation and related infrastructure to benefit a total of 134 villages, amongst others.
The programme will also address the pressing water needs of approximately 380 000 people in the defined areas in the Limpopo province and will be able to create 42 000 jobs.
