The Minister of Water and Sanitation, Senzo Mchunu met with key stakeholders from Mpumalanga and Limpopo provinces to map a way forward in relation to the Loskop Water Supply project.

The Loskop Bulk Water Supply project includes a bulk pipeline from Loskop Dam in Mpumalanga to Thembisile Hani Local Municipality in the Nkangala District of Mpumalanga for domestic water supply.

It also includes abstraction works, water treatment works, pump stations and storage reservoir.

It is aimed at providing water to about 130 000 people in Thembisile Hani Local Municipality. This bulk pipeline passes through the Moutse-East area in Sekhukhune District Municipality in Limpopo and is also to supply treated water to eight villages in Moutse through a water treatment works and distribution network.

In his address to the stakeholders, the Minister emphasised the importance of the speedy completion of the project to ensure that people have access to water as they have been waiting for too long for this precious source of life.

The bulk pipeline construction of the Loskop Dam water supply project for communities in Thembisile Hani Local Municipality (THLM) will commence in August.

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“This is the first time the Ministry has presided over such a meeting which involves two provinces – we are here today. What is bringing us here is a project which is centered around Loskop Dam. I was told that the dam was built in 1938. We are here today to make sure that the people residing close to the dam reap the benefits of the dam that they always see. This is a historic meeting. The purpose of this meeting is to actually deliver water. When we leave here, we must be in one mind about the project”, said Minister Mchunu.

The Minister also called on the stakeholders to guard and monitor the project to ensure that it is not riddled with corruption.

“Let me make it clear as I chair this meeting, that will never happen under my watch. This project will succeed. Let us move on with the project. There is only one temptation that must prevail and that is providing people with water”, he said.

In her remarks, the Premier of Mpumalanga Refilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane emphasised the importance of monitoring of the project.

“We must guard against shoddy workmanship by contractors. We must come up with a coordination structure from the political and technocrat levels to look at the project till the end. Sitting where I am, I am comforted that we will be able to respond to the Human Rights Commission in relation to the violation of the rights of our people. We welcome the integration of the project with Limpopo”, she said.

In his closing remarks, Minister Mchunu emphasised the completion of projects.

“I am talking about the completion of projects, this one we must complete, and we must complete in time. To speed up the project, the work packages will be done in parallel to ensure that the project is speedily completed to provide people with water. We will have a political steering committee led by Ministry and a technical steering committee led by the Director-General”, he stated.

As part of inclusive engagements, the Ministerial delegation with the Mpumalanga and Limpopo delegations met with community stakeholders in Moutse in Elias Motswaledi Local Municipality in Limpopo and Verena in Thembisile Hani Local Municipality in Mpumalanga.