The Minister of Water and Sanitation, Senzo Mchunu has reiterated that the Giyani Water Project is on course and that 24 out of 55 villages meant to benefit from the project will soon get water.

The Department of Water and Sanitation is providing funding and support to the Mopani District Municipality through its Water Services Infrastructure Grant (WSIG) for the reticulation of 55 villages within the district to increase the level of services from communal taps to yard connections, as part of the Giyani Bulk Water Supply Scheme.

The Minister said this on Thursday, 20 April 2023, during the official opening of the Rosetta Water Treatment Works and of the Brutville Reservoir, which forms part of the Greater Mpofana Bulk Water Supply Scheme, in Mooi River, in the uMgungundlovu District, KwaZulu-Natal.

Minister Mchunu said the Portfolio Committee on Water and Sanitation was recently in Giyani and has commended the Department of Water and Sanitation for finally completing the 40.5-kilometer pipeline from Nandoni to Nsami Dam for the benefit of Giyani residents and some villages around the Mopani District.

“The Portfolio has confirmed that the bulk water from Nandoni Dam to Nsami is now flowing, and the current project currently going on is the refurbishment of the Giyani Water Treatment Works. We are closely working with Mopani District Municipality in Limpopo, to ensure that this process is fast-tracked.

The last part of the Giyani Water Project will be to ensure that water is being reticulated to the villages. We are working together on this project to ensure that the people of Giyani get water,” said Minister Mchunu.

This was validated by Risimati Mathye, the Deputy Director-General responsible for Water Services, who also confirmed that the Department has completed the longstanding issue of transferring raw water from Nandoni to Nsami.

Mathye was part of the team representing the DWS during the visit by the Portfolio Committee to assess the project.

“On the 5th of April, we completed what we needed to do, which was to transfer raw water from Nandoni to Nsami Dam and that water is ready to be treated and distributed to villages in Giyani. From the onset, our work as the department was to take raw water from the source and augment water coming from Middle Letaba Dam, which is not enough for the Giyani communities,” the DDG said.

Mathye emphasised that the remaining work on the pipeline is cosmetic, and will be finished by June but the critical work is completed and Nsami Dam is receiving 12 megalitres of raw water per day from Nandoni Dam.

“The remaining work is in the hands of Mopani District Municipality to fast track the refurbishment of the Giyani Water Treatment Plant so that it reaches its maximum capacity of treating 30 megalitres of water per day to benefit the villages. We continue to support the municipality in this quest and we expect it to be finished by December 2023. Upon completion, work is underway to increase the capacity of the plant by 10 ml/d to 40 ml/d and the construction is set to commence in April 2024 for a duration 24 months”, he stressed.