Residents of Kabe Village outside Mahikeng in the North West say access to water has become a major crisis.

The community had hopes of having access to clean drinking water when six boreholes were drilled in the area in 2019, allegedly by the Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality.

Residents say majority of these boreholes and water tanks are currently not working and they are forced to queue for long hours just to quench their thirst.

According to StatsSA, Kabe Village has almost 300 households yet only 2.9% of these have boreholes.

Residents rely on communal taps to access water.

One of the residents, Molehatsapa Maseng says majority of these taps are dry.

“For several years, since 2017, they even came here to drill the boreholes, which is six, but both of them are not working. These tanks that you see here, belongs to them but they are leaking. People are suffering, they are not getting water because the pipes where the water must pass to the tanks are dilapidated,” Maseng. 

While Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality has requested more time to investigate this, other residents say they have to fetch water from a nearby – Disaneng Dam.

“When we need water, we have to travel far, to nearby places or villages. If water is not here, we take water from the dam,” says one resident.

“When the tap is running, you’ll see many people here. We want Ngaka Modiri Molema to help us.”

Other areas are also struggling with access to water around the province as municipalities struggle to provide access.

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