09 May 2014

Letlhakeng Sub-district Council chairperson, Mr Tshoganetso Leuwe has informed residents of Maratswane settlement near Letlhakeng that the council is aware of the water problem in their area.

Responding to complaints from Kgosi Mooketsi Lekgela during a kgotla meeting addressed by the Assistant Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Mr Olebile Gaborone on May 7, Cllr Leuwe said the problem was difficult to address as the area was not gazetted as a village.

He said when the Water Utilities Corporation (WUC) took over water services, it did not take over settlements such as Maratswane and Kgare/Sebotswane, but still took over water-bousers that the council used to water these settlements.

“At the moment we are only left with two water bousers to service settlement areas and the bousers are old and break down time and again. The borehole which we identified to water the settlement has very low yields and is not economic to operate,” he said.

However he said there was hope as WUC had promised to take over the settlement and connect it to the Malwelwe-Molepolole waterpipe. Cllr Leuwe also said the issue of a dirty village water tank that kgosi Lekgela complained about during the meeting had never been reported to his office, but promised to follow it up.

Cllr Leuwe also informed residents that the two classroom block that was planned for their settlement was not constructed because of the economic recession, as well as the fact that the area was not yet gazetted.

Cllr Leuwe was responding Kgosi Lekgela’s complaints that they had acute shortage of p water shortage in the settlement, and that they could go for weeks without water as the council bousers delivered sporadically and after a long time.

Kgosi Lekgela had also pleaded with the council authorities to equip a nearby borehole so the settlement could be watered from it, and that the village tank which the councils often filled never cleaned, causing cases of diarrhoea in the settlement.

“The only time we find reliable water supply is during the rainy season when we rely on the nearby water ponds,” he said. Kgosi Lekgela said his settlement was faced with water shortage despite the fact the area had huge underground water resources from which villages such as Molepolole and Thamaga were watered.

Kgosi Lekgela had also enquired on the long promised two classroom block which was meant to cater for lower primary school children who could walk the daily 14 km to and fro the nearby Malwelwe village.
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