In components of Musina in Limpopo, aged and disabled residents say they’re struggling to deal with an unreliable water provide. That makes primary hygiene troublesome, will increase the danger of illness and forces them to spend grant cash on water.
100-year-old Judas Tlou lives alone in Matswale Extension 14. The water disaster means getting by with a 2,500-litre Jojo tank, which he says he purchased utilizing his old-age grant. However due to the irregular municipal water provide, his Jojo tank not often fills up and is usually empty.
“I sacrificed to purchase this Jojo tank from my old-age grant,” he says.
Whereas he does have a flush bathroom in his home, the water scarcity renders it unusable.
With out sufficient water to flush, he says he typically has to alleviate himself in close by bushes, about 500 metres from his yard, as a result of he’s nervous about creating an unhygienic scenario near the place he lives.
Tlou’s superior age additionally makes it almost unimaginable for him to fetch water. His nearest neighbour with a borehole is a couple of kilometre away – too far for him to stroll to ask for water.
Lengthy-running water disaster
Musina, a part of the Vhembe District Municipality, has struggled with continual water shortages for greater than a decade, reflecting a wider water disaster within the district.
In Matswale township, residents say municipal faucets are sometimes dry, water tankers come solely sometimes, and lots of households have needed to discover their very own methods to retailer and purchase water.
Stats SA’s Common Family Survey 2024 discovered that Limpopo recorded the nation’s largest decline in entry to piped or faucet water between 2002 and 2024, dropping by 10.9 share factors.
The report notes that unreliable entry to water continues to undermine public well being, particularly in rural and peri-urban communities the place infrastructure stays inconsistent.
Household with disabilities struggles with out water
Water shortages are compounded for Lydia Ngovheza, a 44-year-old mom of 5 who’s bodily disabled and makes use of a wheelchair.
Ngovheza’s three eldest youngsters all stay with disabilities. Her 24-year-old and 13-year-old have bodily disabilities, whereas her 18-year-old has a developmental incapacity, is non-verbal and wishes a excessive stage of care. Her two youngest youngsters, aged seven and 6, are too younger to assist fetch water.
She says municipal faucet water normally comes late at night time, typically solely a couple of times a month, and sometimes for too brief a time to attach the faucet water to her Jojo tank to fill it up.
“Municipal water is never delivered. If it comes, it’s normally at midnight for under two hours, and I’ve to place my wheelchair exterior to attach [the pipe from the tap to] my Jojo tank,” she says.
“In any other case, we purchase water for R300, which solely lasts every week.”
Tlou and Ngovheza’s tales replicate a wider disaster in Musina, the place long-running water shortages are making every day life tougher for poor households, particularly for the aged, disabled or these caring for kids with disabilities.
Households depend on rainwater, purchased water and water tankers
Many residents in Matswale purchased 2,500-litre Jojo tanks, utilizing social grants to retailer municipal water when it’s accessible, or they pay for water from non-public borehole homeowners. Households are additionally lining up 20-litre containers exterior their yards to gather rainwater.
Residents say shortages are notably extreme in Ward 6, together with Matswale Extensions 10 and 14.
Resident Hazel Nemutavhanani accuses the native authorities of supplying water reliably solely throughout election intervals.
“Water costs depend upon non-public suppliers. Filling a 2,500-litre Jojo tank prices R300 to R500, which is unaffordable for households residing solely on social grants,” she says.
Nemutavhanani says the municipality ought to present Jojo tanks to residents and pump water straight into them.
Physician warns of illness danger
Residents say a lot of their neighbours in Matswale have resorted to relieving themselves in close by bushes exterior their yards as a result of they’ve empty Jojo tanks and no operating water to flush their bathrooms.
Based on Stats SA’s Common Family Survey 2024, Limpopo had the bottom entry to improved sanitation within the nation, at 62%. Within the absence of flush bathrooms, 68% of households within the province used pit latrines. The survey additionally notes that reliance on unimproved sanitation and relieving oneself within the open are extra widespread in rural areas.
Dr Amon Maanda, performing scientific supervisor at Musina Hospital, says the water shortages have severe well being penalties.
He says many residents should not have sufficient water for correct handwashing after relieving themselves in public areas, which will increase the danger of spreading illness.
“When residents use the bush to alleviate themselves, they usually haven’t any water to clean their arms. This will increase the danger of contaminating meals and spreading ailments corresponding to cholera,” he says.
Maanda says just a few communal faucets within the space are working, whereas some residents should stroll lengthy distances to achieve households with boreholes.
He warns that the shortages might improve the danger of future illness outbreaks.
“In the long run, we’re prone to face outbreaks that can place further pressure on already stretched hospital sources.”
Small companies additionally affected
A 49-year-old meals vendor who sells meals on the highway to Alldays township within the space, and who requested to not be named, says the dearth of water makes it tougher to take care of hygiene and hold prospects.
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“It makes my enterprise very troublesome to run. I want water each time to prepare dinner meals on the market,” she says.
She says when there isn’t any water in her Jojo tank or in her faucets, she will’t put together meals to promote, and doesn’t earn money on these days.
“My prospects want to clean their arms earlier than having fun with the meals they purchased. If I don’t practise good hygiene, I’ll lose prospects.”
Poor governance
Councillor Manavhela says former Water and Sanitation Minister Senzo Mchunu visited Musina in 2022, and plans have been put in place to deal with the disaster.
“One long-term answer includes sourcing water from Zimbabwe to scale back reliance on unreliable boreholes,” he says.
He says solely 27 of Musina’s 47 boreholes are working on account of upkeep prices, theft and vandalism.
Based on Manavhela solely one of many municipality’s 4 water pumps is operational at its pump station, whereas two water pumps put in with help from Venetia Mine are nonetheless not working due to technical issues.
Manavhela says the Vhembe District Municipality appointed two contractors value greater than R195 million in late January as a part of a long-term plan to enhance Musina’s water provide.
Well being-e Information despatched inquiries to Vhembe District Municipality performing spokesperson, Moses Shivambu in February and adopted up a number of instances, however had not obtained a response by the point of publication. – Well being-e Information
*Further reporting by Adel Van Niekerk
