Mamanyoha vows to tackle water and sewage crisis across Mopani
MOPANI: Newly sworn-in Mopani District Municipality Executive Mayor Dagma Mamanyoha has identified water shortages and the condition of municipal infrastructure as some of the key issues requiring urgent attention as he takes over the district’s executive leadership.
Mamanyoha said the recurring sewage problems affecting communities in Ba-Phalaborwa, Modjadjiskloof, Greater Giyani and Greater Tzaneen cannot be addressed in isolation from the district’s longstanding water challenges.
Addressing members of the media following his swearing-in, Mamanyoha said his administration would work closely with government departments and other agencies, particularly the Department of Water and Sanitation, to improve water provision and sanitation services across the district.
He said Greater Giyani would receive particular attention because communities in the area have experienced water challenges for many years.
“We need to work together with other government agencies, especially the Water Department, to ensure that we improve the lives of our people,” Mamanyoha said.
As part of his intervention, the district municipality is expected to conduct house-to-house inspections to assess how water and sewer connections have been made and to identify possible problems within the existing infrastructure.
Mamanyoha also warned residents against undertaking extensions to their homes without obtaining the necessary municipal approval.
He said some residents were extending their houses onto or around major municipal sewer infrastructure, making it difficult for authorities to access and maintain the networks when blockages, leakages or other problems occur.
The new mayor takes over from Pule Shayi, who resigned as Mopani District Municipality Executive Mayor after being appointed to the Limpopo Provincial Executive Council.
Shayi was appointed as the province’s MEC for Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs, creating a vacancy in the district’s executive leadership.
The ANC subsequently identified Mamanyoha as its candidate for the position.
Mamanyoha’s immediate challenge is to address persistent water and sanitation problems in a district comprising Ba-Phalaborwa, Greater Giyani, Greater Letaba, Greater Tzaneen and Maruleng municipalities.
Mopani’s own latest available annual report shows that water and sanitation remain significant service-delivery challenges.
