Minister of Water and Sanitation Ms Nomvula Mokonyane hands over wheelbarrows and checks project progress on Sheldon water projects
A total of 12 state-of-the-art wheelbarrows were presented to the elderly people in Sheldon Village in Mpumalanga today, 7 June 2016 to make collecting and storing water easy for them.
The wheelbarrows consist of water containers and a build-in taps that make it easier for the villagers to store water.
The community of Sheldon in KwaMhlanga, Mpumalanga was delighted and showed great appreciation for all the water supply intervention projects ongoing in the area. They expressed this as Minister of Water and Sanitation Ms Nomvula Mokonyane visited the area to inspect and monitor the progress of these projects. She did this as part of the week-long Presidential Siyahlola programme aimed at monitoring the delivery of basic services to South African citizens.
To date 54 boreholes are under construction throughout the Thembisile Hani Municipality, where Sheldon village is located and they are set to benefit 4081 households. An 80 000 litre water storage tanker has been erected and already in use, while plans are in place to erect another one in Moloto village. Additionally, about R 15.8 million has been allocated to three water conservation and demand management projects, set to benefit 109 282 households.
During the meeting today Minister Mokonyane said that part of the visit was to remind citizens that things have improved for the better since the beginning of the interventions and that better things are still come. And this will be achieved through collaboration with municipalities, water boards and the community members.
She concluded the meeting with the Sheldon Village community members by encouraging them to take ownership of all water infrastructures provided to them. This she said can be done through joining forces with the Department in ensuring that people who vandalise and steal water infrastructure are brought to book and dealt with accordingly.
Minister in the Presidency, Mr Jeff Radebe also formed part of the visit. The visit is necessitated by the fact that the area has experienced critical water shortages and the department has had to step in to assist.
Enquiries:
Sputnik Ratau
DWS Media Liaison Director
Cell: 082 874 2942
