Thirsty Bakaa tell Masire off
Innocent Selatlhwa | Friday June 9, 2017 16:41
The angry villagers demanded that Masire must take with him the Jojo tanks, which have been watering the village, as they are unhygienic.
Masire had just told the villagers that he was aware of the acute shortage of water in the village and that they were doing all in their might to ensure that villagers get water. “The problem is that the village has outgrown the small pipes distributing water to your village. I know former Minister Mokaila had in 2013 promised you infrastructure, but you are still waiting because of financial constraints,” he said.
Masire went on to state that they have since managed to get P10 million to improve the infrastructure to be able to water the village. “We managed to get mapping and will very soon be starting the procurement process so that we can award a tender. That is when we will know how much time that would take.” Masire pleaded with the residents to provide ideas on how they could be helped in addition to the current bowsing.
In their response the villagers told Masire they were tired of the same song while their lives were in danger. “Your explanation is empty. We have suffered a lot already and when we expected you to at least tell us that the tender has been awarded, you sing the same old song. Maybe you should fire your engineers for failing to advise on time that there is need to expand our network. We cannot own a dam and be thirsty,” one villager Albert Machaile said.
Gerald Bodika said the problem came with WUC. He said he was disappointed that Masire could not say anything they wanted to hear. Bodika said it was surprising that even areas that used to have water are now dry leading them to believe that they were purposefully denied water. A representative of Tlhaakgame Primary School said their school was on the brink of closure as the water problem has led to their ablution blocks becoming a mess.
#“Our pupils have now resorted to using the bush because the toilets are not accommodating. There are faeces all over and blockages as there has never been sufficient supply of water. Since the beginning of the year, we have been having problems. We request that you help us with a solution to avoid situations we cannot control,” she said. The Mmegi team visited the school after the meeting and it was an eyesore. There were faeces all over and pupils were seen going into the nearby bushes to relieve themselves.
The angry villagers said their children were denied enough time to study, as they had to be up very early to get water from the Jojo tanks. They also complained that they could not trust water from the tanks as they had retrieved disposable nappies in some and that they were left without anyone to look after them. They said they believed that the problem was man made and could be fixed instantly as they at times get sufficient water.
Villagers called on Masire to consider bringing back to life the booster that was used to pump water in the village before, it was also brought to his attention that there was a water treatment that was used by villagers before which they suggested should be serviced and used.
Masire promised to get back to the villagers in not so long with better explanations. He promised the villagers that they were equally concerned and would put suggestions from villagers to good use.