As part of a monitoring and fact-finding mission, Vhembe District Executive Mayor Freda Nkondo visited the Vondo Water Treatment Plant upgrade site on Monday, 12 May. She was joined by councillors and community leaders to assess progress on the "Increase the Capacity and Upgrade of Vondo Water Treatment and Related Infrastructure" project.
The mayor expressed frustration over continued delays in water service delivery and the slow pace of the project, which is funded through the Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG).
"Enough is enough. Every time there's a new budget, Vhembe's water projects are listed among those not progressing. Meanwhile, our communities still don't have access to clean running water," said Nkondo, speaking to engineers and contractors at the plant. "Water is life. We cannot deny our people this basic service."
Nkondo urged contractors to accelerate the work, especially with the dry winter months approaching. "By the end of June, we want to see progress. We don't want to return unspent funds to Treasury because of underperformance."
She noted that project progress currently stands at just 35.1%, which she described as unacceptably low. "By 2026, if we still haven't delivered, communities will rightly blame us—yet we are the Water Services Authority."
Nkondo also called for short-term solutions to help affected areas. "Wards 24, 31, 35 and 40 in Thulamela Municipality must get water, even if it's through water tankers. And if we remove illegal water connections in some areas, we could restore 24/7 supply," she said.
She said it was her hope that by November, residents in the affected villages would have clean water flowing from their taps.
Project manager Mr Ernest Mabonyane acknowledged the mayor's concerns and said the team was working hard to overcome several challenges. "We've had disruptions due to rain, disputes over the site camp, and demands from local businesspeople wanting a 30% stake. Those issues have since been resolved," he said.
He added that a strike by local labourers, which began in December 2024, had also delayed progress. "We're in ongoing discussions with them to reach an amicable solution."