Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation Ms Dikeledi Magadzi said that water challenges in the communities of Kutama-Sinthumule and Louis Trichardt would hopefully soon be a thing of the past after certain problems had finally been resolved regarding the Sinthumule-Kutama Bulk Water Supply Project.
The problems that hindered progress include the Vuwani Pipeline, where construction started in October 2014. The project was supposed to be completed in 2017, but still has not produced sufficient water for the communities.
Magadzi, joined by the executive mayor of Vhembe District Municipality, Dowelani Nenguda, Limpopo Provincial Director of the Department of Water and Sanitation Ms Lucy Kobe and the project manager for the Sinthumule-Kutama Bulk Water Supply Project, Mr Ndivhuwo Muthige, went on a fact-finding mission during a visit to the project site along the Thohoyandou-Louis Trichardt Road on Monday, 20 September.
"I came here to avail myself with what exactly the issues are here that cause this project to take so long," Magadzi said. "One of the problems indicated had to do with pipes that had to pass through a certain farm that caused trouble, but that had been resolved. The water license was another issue that took a long time to be resolved, as well as the procurement programme and process at the Department of Water and Sanitation, in particular the procurement of the jacking of the pipes. Twenty-one (21) days from today (20 September), the bid will be closed, and people will be on site to deal with these issues," Magadzi said. She expects these problems to be resolved within two months.
Another topic for discussion was the fact that the Nandoni Dam's pump station produces only 60 megalitres of water per day and should be augmented to produce 100 megalitres per day, so that it can provide sufficient clean water to the communities in Kutama-Sinthumule and Louis Trichardt.
The initial anticipated time for this project to be completed was by March 2022, but Magadzi said it could now be reduced to December 2021.