After almost a decade of failure, on Sunday, President Cyril Ramaphosa visited the infamous Giyani water project that was initiated to provide water to 55 villages. An estimated amount of R3 billion has already been spent on the project and not a single village has received water.
In his address to the community, Minister of Water Affairs, Senzo Mnchunu, pleaded with the Giyani residents to exercise more patience and promised that in March 2023 their water woes will end as water will be delivered to the 55 villages.
ActionSA has diarised this date and will continue to monitor developments around this project until March next year when according to Ramaphosa and his delegation, “water will be supplied to every household.” It is unclear exactly what this means for the people of Giyani in real terms. We will nevertheless monitor the situation going forward.
In his main address to the audience, Ramaphosa boasted that he appointed Mnchunu to among others address the Giyani water crisis and that he was happy with his performance. We beg to differ.
One will remember that during our in loco inspection with ActionSA’s legal team at the end of November 2022, at Lepelle Northern Water Storage Camp in Hlomo Village, the Department of Water and Sanitation site in Giyani and Nsami Dam Water Plant, we were met with a rather disappointing reception. Our team was denied access to these premises and refused critical information about the project, while 8-year-olds in the affected villages ferry water from boreholes to their homes.
The advent of Mnchunu hasn’t brought about any visible change as the Minister twice failed to meet his own deadlines of September and November.
It was however encouraging to hear both Mnchunu and Ramaphosa promise that the SIU was hard at work to bring to book all those who would be fingered in the R3 billion scandal. We urge the government to arrest, prosecute and convict all officials and tenderpreneurs responsible for this mess that has real human cost.
Finally, Ramaphosa told the thirsty audience that ‘if Mnchunu doesn’t deliver in March 2023, there will be consequences. As ActionSA, we have also recorded this statement and will remind the President about this promise next year.
In the meantime, the people of the 55 villages face another thirsty Christmas despite the promises of an incompetent and corrupt government.
ActionSA’s legal team is exploring all legal avenues to hold the Ramaphosa government accountable for this injustice.
Giyani Water Crisis: Ramaphosa and Mchunu Make More Empty Promises
After almost a decade of failure, on Sunday, President Cyril Ramaphosa visited the infamous Giyani water project that was initiated to provide water to 55 villages. An estimated amount of R3 billion has already been spent on the project and not a single village has received water.
In his address to the community, Minister of Water Affairs, Senzo Mnchunu, pleaded with the Giyani residents to exercise more patience and promised that in March 2023 their water woes will end as water will be delivered to the 55 villages.
ActionSA has diarised this date and will continue to monitor developments around this project until March next year when according to Ramaphosa and his delegation, “water will be supplied to every household.” It is unclear exactly what this means for the people of Giyani in real terms. We will nevertheless monitor the situation going forward.
In his main address to the audience, Ramaphosa boasted that he appointed Mnchunu to among others address the Giyani water crisis and that he was happy with his performance. We beg to differ.
One will remember that during our in loco inspection with ActionSA’s legal team at the end of November 2022, at Lepelle Northern Water Storage Camp in Hlomo Village, the Department of Water and Sanitation site in Giyani and Nsami Dam Water Plant, we were met with a rather disappointing reception. Our team was denied access to these premises and refused critical information about the project, while 8-year-olds in the affected villages ferry water from boreholes to their homes.
The advent of Mnchunu hasn’t brought about any visible change as the Minister twice failed to meet his own deadlines of September and November.
It was however encouraging to hear both Mnchunu and Ramaphosa promise that the SIU was hard at work to bring to book all those who would be fingered in the R3 billion scandal. We urge the government to arrest, prosecute and convict all officials and tenderpreneurs responsible for this mess that has real human cost.
Finally, Ramaphosa told the thirsty audience that ‘if Mnchunu doesn’t deliver in March 2023, there will be consequences. As ActionSA, we have also recorded this statement and will remind the President about this promise next year.
In the meantime, the people of the 55 villages face another thirsty Christmas despite the promises of an incompetent and corrupt government.
ActionSA’s legal team is exploring all legal avenues to hold the Ramaphosa government accountable for this injustice.