Maximum prison steps in to help struggling Vhembe fix water supply

Date: 05 September 2024 By: Andries van Zyl

By Wednesday this week, many residents in Louis Trichardt and Tshikota were still left to their own devices in a constant battle for clean drinking water as the Vhembe District Municipality (VDM) has seemingly all but lost complete control over the ongoing water-supply crisis in the district.

For weeks now, residents of these townships have had to either buy or pump their own borehole water as shutdown after shutdown of the Albasini Dam raw-water treatment plant occurred because of breakdowns or pipe bursts. The last three weeks were a good example of this. On 21 August, the shutdown was due to a leak at the Albasini Dam raw-water treatment plant. Just a week later, on 27 August, a total shutdown was again announced, this time because a pipe burst was reported at the notorious Pump Station 3 on the Albasini line that feeds the Mowkop main reservoir in Louis Trichardt.

On Monday this week, VDM spokesperson Mr Matodzi Ralushai was asked to give feedback on the current water crisis and repair works. “Pumping has started; however, the municipality is still doing some work at Pump Station 3,” said Ralushai.

The region’s constant dry taps border on the absurd as dams in the area remain almost full, yet virtually no water is reaching homes. One of the organisations hugely affected by this is South African Custodial Management’s (SACM) Kutama Sinthumule Correctional Centre, the maximum-security prison just outside Louis Trichardt in Limpopo which houses thousands of the country’s most violent criminals.

To explain just how dire the prison’s water situation has become, the prison said in a media statement to the newspaper that it had not received any water from the VDM for the past 10 years. To alleviate the crisis, two 500,000-litre water reservoirs, as well as eight 10,000-litre water tanks, were erected. The facility also has ten boreholes from which they pump water to fill the two 500,000-litre reservoirs, and emergency water tanks have been installed in strategic places throughout the prison, including the kitchen, healthcare, and the laundry. On various occasions, water is also delivered to the facility by contractors.

“More than R1.2 million was spent on redirecting water from the two 500,000-litre tanks to the green tanks and into the water reticulation system to improve the flow and pressure of water,” the statement reads.

To try and help, the prison recently decided to assist the VDM with the repair work needed to ensure water supply to them and residents. “SACM assisted in getting the dedicated water pipeline from Mowkop to the facility, which had been damaged at three different places by the contractor appointed by government to lay the main water pipeline from Nandoni Dam to Mowkop reservoir, repaired,” the prison stated. This dedicated supply line was built by SACM during the construction phase of the prison. “SACM also assisted in getting two major leaks from the Albasini Dam to Mowkop repaired. The costs of the two above-mentioned repairs amount to more than R70,000,” the prison continued, adding that SACM had also provided manpower and logistical assistance in getting the repairs done.

When asked about this public/private initiative, Matodzi, for some reason, was a bit evasive. For one, he did not want to acknowledge the prison’s contribution when specifically asked about it. “The municipality appointed a service provider to repair the pipeline,” he said. He also denied that a government contractor had damaged the prison’s dedicated supply line from the Mowkop reservoir to the prison. Asked for a response to the prison’s claim that they had not received water from the VDM for the past 10 years, Matodzi was again evasive. “Vhembe District Municipality supplies water to the prison constantly, unless there is a breakdown within the municipal system,” he stated.

Yet despite not acknowledging the prison’s contribution, Matodzi was asked how they viewed such private assistance. “Vhembe District Municipality is a partner to both public and private entities to address water challenges…” said Matodzi.

At the time of our going to press, Matodzi had yet to give feedback regarding Louis Trichardt and Tshikota’s current water-supply situation.

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Andries van Zyl

Andries joined the Zoutpansberger and Limpopo Mirror in April 1993 as a darkroom assistant. Within a couple of months he moved over to the production side of the newspaper and eventually doubled as a reporter. In 1995 he left the newspaper group and travelled overseas for a couple of months. In 1996, Andries rejoined the Zoutpansberger as a reporter. In August 2002, he was appointed as News Editor of the Zoutpansberger, a position he holds until today.

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