10 Jul 2025

A proposed reverse osmosis treatment plant in Maitengwe intended to bolster water supply for several villages, has been suspended due to a lack of funding in the last financial year 2024/25. Answering a question in Parliament on July 9, the Minister of Water and Human Settlement, Mr Onneetse Ramogapi stated that the Design and Construction of the five mega litre capacity plant was among the projects halted by a government decision in November 2024. 

He said this decision aimed to suspend all unawarded projects, with a view to resume them once funding becomes available.  Minister Ramogapi has said the ministry had since proposed a budget for the plant under the National Development Plan 12. 

He explained that once operational, the reverse osmosis plant was projected to meet the water demands of the region for the next 10 years. The minister said villages intended to benefit from the project included Maitengwe, Dagwi, Nkange, Changate, Senete and Tutume. 

He said while Maitengwe well-fields supplied sufficient water daily to these villages, the reverse osmosis plant was primarily aimed at improving the water quality. Mr Ramogapi further noted that Tutume, while listed as a beneficiary, currently does not experience water supply challenges as it was supplied from the Masingwaneng Water Treatment Plant. He said despite the generally sufficient supply, certain high-lying wards, specifically Mabue and Nyewele in Nkange and Labungwane in Changate, faced intermittent water supply due to existing village tanks lacking sufficient capacity.

 The minister said to address these immediate issues, the wards were currently receiving water through bowsing, with one WUC Bowser truck covering both villages daily. For a more sustainable solution, the ministry has proposed the construction of new, larger capacity tanks on 15-meter stands as part of the Maitengwe reverse osmosis project, he said.

Nkange MP, Mr Motlhaleemang Moalosi had asked the minister about the current status of the proposed reverse osmosis plant in Maitengwe. He also wanted to know the villages that would benefit from plant and interventions to address the current water shortages in these villages. ENDS