ADVERTISEMENT:
News - Date: 05 November 2012
The challenge of water shortages in Vhembe will be history soon as the Nandoni project is nearing completion.
This was said by the executive mayor of Vhembe, Cllr Tshitereke Matibe, in response to a question during a recent visit to the area.
Matibe, Mayor Grace Mahosi, the mayor of Thulamela, and other senior officials others visited Ha-Tshikonelo outside Thohoyandou as part of the mayor's programme to interact with the community and to learn about their problems.
During his meeting with the community in the tribal office, the community said that there was a serious need for water. Others raised their concerns about the lack of electricity, the bad access roads and long distances they had to walk to clinics and schools.
Matibe said it pained him to see that the community is in dire need of water, while the Nandoni dam was full. "We are trying our best to speed up the process, so that you can get water in your homestead as soon as possible," he said.
Meanwhile, contractors are providing boreholes as a temporary solution to the community, so that they can get water.
On the issue of access roads and re-graveling, Matibe said it would be difficult to solve the problem entirely as there were only 11 tractors in Thulamela. These tractors must cater for 40 wards that have more than 400 villages. "However," Matibe said, "we will try to get more tractors, even though it will take some time."
Chief Alfred Nngwedzeni Mphaphuli, who was hosting the delegation, said he was happy that the community had engaged with the two mayors about their needs. Mphaphuli also urged the community to be patient with their government. "As you have heard, our government is trying its best to deliver. Do not engage in protest marches as you have heard that your leaders are always ready to listen to you," said Mphaphuli.
Search for a story:
ADVERTISEMENT
The economic conditions in Zimbabwe forced Tanaka Moyo (40) to legally seek greener pastures in Musina. He opted for a unique business plan, selling the wild jujube fruit to make a living. The fruit, called masau in Shona, is better known as mazwilu in Tshivenda.
As the unemployment rate in South Africa continued to rise, a group of women from Makonde village decided to start a community-based project to create job opportunities for themselves. However, it is very difficult to continue with the project without support from the government or the private sector.
At the age of 104, William Masindi Sadiki still has many stories to tell. Some of these are about his experiences during World War II, when he was part of the North Africa campaign. He is one of the few black soldiers from that era still alive, and he proudly pins his war medals on his chest on formal occasions.
The Rivoni School for the Blind in in Njakanjaka village in the Vhembe District has 167 learners from Grade R to Grade 12. The school was started in 2016 by the Rivoni Society for the Blind, founded in June 1975 at Elim Hospital by late Swiss doctor Erwin Sutter. The society later transferred responsibility for the school to the Department of Education.