In May, Water and Sanitation Minister Senzo Mchunu, and Deputy Ministers David Mahlobo and Dikeledi Magadzi were on hand to witness the progress of the construction of the raw water bulk water pipeline from Nandoni dam to augment Nsami and Middle Letaba.

The water project had been stagnant for a long time but currently 77.4% of work has been completed.

The project is expected to be completed in September this year. It will benefit about 55 villages – a population of more than 240 000 people – in Giyani.

The raw water bulk supply pipeline was promised to the people of Giyani for a long time, but it has never taken off despite funds being made available for the project.

Mchunu visited the sites where the laying of the pipelines from Nandoni dam to Nsami is currently under way.

This project is led by the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) through Lepelle Northern Water.

“I am very satisfied that the work of bringing water to Giyani is on course,” said Mchunu.

He added that contrasted to what he saw last year when the project was hopeless and not moving at all.

Mchunu said a new model for the pipeline installations from Nandoni to Nsami had to be drafted in order to put the project into motion.

He pointed out the DWS had also installed a pipeline that would take treated water from the water treatment works to Malamulele and the surrounding areas.

However, despite the progress on the raw water pipeline construction, the area of Giyani is faced with challenges that include ageing infrastructure and asbestos pipes, as well as inadequate reticulation systems to the villages.

Mopani district municipality has indicated that there are water reticulation and borehole refurbishment upgrade projects, particularly in the villages of Mageva, Ngove, Xikukwane, Giyani and other new places of habitation.

There is also a rehabilitation and refurbishment of Giyani Water Treatment Works, which produces 36-million litres a day.

Mchunu emphasised the fact that water should be reticulated to the households.

He said it was important to prioritise water reticulation to communities at the household level, while the communal system would be considered mainly for the mushrooming informal settlements.

Mchunu later interacted with the communities of Giyani, who voiced their frustrations regarding the promises made to deliver water to their area.