544 Nandoni Dam beneficiaries paid
The Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation, Mr David Mahlobo has expressed his gratitude on the progress made so far to compensate beneficiaries affected by the construction of Nandoni Dam.
During his visit to Thohoyandou on Friday, 13 November 2020, Deputy Minister Mahlobo received a report that a total of 544 beneficiaries have been compensated since he began his quest for the Department to fast-track the process in March.
On his first visit in March, he instructed departmental officials in Limpopo to set up a Help Desk, as a result, a total of 764 documents from claimants were verified and submitted for processing.
“I thank the officials of the departmental for the hard work they put in this process to find speedy resolution and for government to able to pay the deserving beneficiaries that were affected. The report that I received today is satisfactory and we are indeed pleased that we are implementing the Public Protector’s remedial actions on the matter of payment”, Deputy Minister Mahlobo said.
In addition, he was also briefed that there could have been more recipients had it not been for the fact that some deserving beneficiaries have since passed on due the prolonged process it has taken to pay. Therefore, the change of beneficiaries on the claim forms resulted in the Department’s payment system rejecting the claims, as the names are different from those initially submitted. Another factor is that; some beneficiaries’ bank accounts are no longer active and payments were thus rejected in some instances.
He ordered that all outstanding verification documents and account confirmations should be collected and delivered to the Head Office no later than the 17th of November 2020 for processing. He appealed to the Representative Committee to once again work speedily with the Department officials in making sure that the 305 outstanding payments are concluded before Christmas Day.
“Our objective is to have all payments finalised by Christmas Day but our attitude is such that all beneficiaries are paid out by the end of November this year. The matter of 22 beneficiaries that were overpaid by the Department, according to the Public Protector’s report, and should refund some of the money will be handled discreetly and should be concluded by the New Year”, he concluded.
With regards to Vho Thovhele Ramovha’s claim contained in the Public Protector’s report, the Department has reported that the surveying of the communal land has been completed and the size of the land confirmed. The process will continue to the office of the Valuer General to determine the actual value of the land.
Deputy Minister Mahlobo’s to Thohoyandou, he met with: Vho Thovhele Khosi Ramovha; a representative from Vho Thovhele Gole Mphaphuli’s chieftaincy; Cllr Mbedzi (MMC for Technical Services) represented the Executive Mayor of Vhembe District Municipality; and the Nandoni Community Representatives.
This visit by Deputy Minister Mahlobo is one of many that he has undertaken since the beginning of the year in an effort to speed up the compensation process to compensate community members that were affected by the construction of Nandoni Dam.
For more information contact:
Sputnik Ratau, Director Media Liaison
082 874 2942
