Trouble in the water at Thononda village

The traditional leader of Thononda village, Khosi Vho-Thandululo Tshivhase accuses a civic structure of tarnishing the image of his area and of infringing on people’s constitutional rights to get water.

Tshivhase and the group purporting to be operating under the umbrella of the South African National Civic Organization (Sanco) have been at loggerheads over the charging of levies and the controlling of water sources.

He said Sanco’s term of operation had ended last year and had never been renewed, but the group did not want to let go. “They don’t cooperate. When I call a meeting, they don’t come; instead, they call a parallel one. Other community structures are cooperating and respect me as their chief,” said Tshivhase.

“I requested R100 from each family, so that we (could) buy electricity units, maintain the water pump and also supply clean water for consumption. The ‘fake’ Sanco decided to go parallel and instructed the community members to pay R50 per head, not per family.  The worst part is that they don’t give receipts to people and don’t want to account (for the money). Sometimes they just tell people that the pump is defunct, and people must pay R50 per head in order to fix the machine and get water,” he said.

“I summoned them to my palace, and they refused. I reported them to my superior, Thovhele Kennedy Midiyavhathu Tshivhase at Mukumbani, and they refused to appear before him,” he said.

“Things are changing; the youth in the village are refusing to take instructions from the fake Sanco. The youth requested a meeting with Sanco, and they denied, saying they have nothing to do with boys. The youth locked the pumping station … and handed the key to me. They have done that because some community members were not getting water,”.

Tshivhase said that the pumping station was not working, and the old pump had to be fixed. He blamed the condition of the pump on a lack of proper maintenance. “If the pump was really serviced, the service provider wouldn’t write it off. It is clear that the money was misused,” he added.

“The fake Sanco once broke the pumping station, and we opened a case against them. The case is still on the roll. They are also facing malicious damage to property after damaging government vehicles that were in the village to service the water pump,” he said.

Tshivhase reckons the issue is about money and to have control over the levies that residents pay. “My gates are always open; the fake Sanco leaders must come, and we settle the matter amicably. Money is the root of most evils,” he concluded.

Representing the community, Mr Johannes Mungoma said chief Tshivhase was using the youth to destroy water infrastructure because community members refused to pay the R100 he requested.

“The pump station was installed in 1987 by the then government and people were getting water without any problem. It started as a diesel pump station and the former Nzhelele Transitional Local Council (TLC) gave us tanks to save water. We elected four members of the community to work at the pump station. We applied for electricity, and this was installed by the former Premier of Limpopo, Mr Cassel Mathale, when the station was upgraded,” he said.

Mungoma accused Tshivhase of using boys to damage the infrastructure. “Those boys are unruly. Since his inauguration, there is no peace in the village. When we open a case against those boys, police don’t arrest them,” he said.

“Tshivhase fenced off the pump station and claimed it to be his. He is demanding R100 from the people for water services. The money should be paid to him,” he said. According to Mungoma, they had written a letter requesting a meeting with the chief, but he had not responded.

“We are in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, but there is no water. Thousands of people rely on that water station. Women are fetching water from the river because of the heartless chief and his boys. When we need a service from our chief’s kraal, he first demands R100 for water before helping you,” he concluded.

The spokesperson for the Vhembe District Municipality, Mr Matodzi Ralushai, said that the area was suffering from a historical leadership crisis. “Both the Thulamela Local Municipality and the Vhembe District Municipality intervened previously. Good governance also requires an affected community’s commitment,” Ralushai added.

Date:16 October 2021

By: Godfrey Mandiwana

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