Hope Fades as De Hoop Dam Fails to Provide Clean Water to Fetakgomo Tubatse Villagers

Hundreds of residents in Fetakgomo Tubatse Municipality have been without clean running water for decades, despite a R279 million budget being allocated in the 2022/2023 Integrated Development Plan (IDP) for bulk water supply. The funds were returned to the National Treasury unused, leaving communities frustrated and without answers.

Repeated protests against the Sekhukhune District Municipality have yielded no results. Residents, like Abel Seepe from Praktiseer township, question whether the municipality is truly committed to solving the water crisis.

Sekhukhune District, a mining and farming region, has four major dams—Loskop, Flag Boshielo, Piet Gouws, and De Hoop. The R3.4 billion De Hoop Dam, Limpopo’s largest, was completed in 2014 to supply clean water to villages. However, 189 villages in Fetakgomo Tubatse still rely on wells and streams, while those who can afford it install costly boreholes. In some areas, borehole water is too salty for consumption.

Despite recent rains keeping De Hoop Dam at over 100% capacity, residents’ taps remain dry. A petition is being sent to the Minister of Water Affairs, demanding urgent intervention.

Fetakgomo Tubatse Ward Committee leader David Mokoena emphasized that access to water is a basic human right. Meanwhile, Sekhukhune District Mayor Minah Bahula has engaged with local councillors to discuss infrastructure challenges, promising to prioritize borehole upgrades and water reticulation improvements.

However, opposition voices like Bolshevic Party Councillor Seun Mogotsi argue that the real issue is a lack of engineering solutions, proper infrastructure, and water treatment plants.

While government leaders promise solutions, many impoverished families continue to risk their safety, walking long distances through dangerous terrain to fetch water. Without immediate action, residents remain at risk of waterborne diseases such as malaria, cholera, and typhoid.