AFTER decades of sharing dirty water from nearby rivers with livestock, a Lusikisiki community has taken matters into their own hands and have built an innovative system to supply the village with clean spring water.
Residents of Ward 19 in Jambeni Village near Lusikisiki adopted a vukuzenzele (Do It Yourself) attitude after their requests for piped water in the village fell on deaf ears.
The project, dubbed “Mamsiza”, a Zulu word which loosely translated means “the helper”, began in May last year.
It was the brainchild of villager Siyabonga Sibango, 37, a selftaught welder. Sibango said he had called the village together to discuss the idea of using a nearby spring to provide them with water.
“When I saw this water running looking so clean, I decided something had to be done to stop the waste,” he said.
The idea had the backing of local traditional leaders and after a community meeting was held, a steering committee was set up to collect donations of R50 from each household.
The funds were used to buy building materials, including cement, sand, bricks, pipes and crushed stone. The services of local semi-skilled builders, which were offered free of charge, are being used to build a 2m high retaining wall around the spring.
Water from the spring is then fed through a pipe to a nearby 2500 litre Jojo tank that had been lying unused in the village.
The tank, which had been vandalised and had holes in it, has been placed on its side in a specially dug trench in the ground.
An access hole cut in what used to be the base, enables residents to draw water in buckets. But a lack of pressure means residents have to form long queues while waiting for the tank to refill. Health department spokesman Sizwe Kupelo said the tank had originally been delivered to the community as a “temporary intervention” in response to a cholera outbreak in the OR Tambo and Alfred Nzo District municipalities in 2003.
Eight people died that year and villagers believe waterborne illnesses were the cause. Kupelo said the department conducted awareness campaigns and had assisted with water purification.
Elderly resident Nonkazimlo Pangomso, 57, said despite the lack of pressure, the spring water was at least clean and safe to drink.
“Boys used to swim in the river, people used soap to bath themselves and wash their laundry so we used to have to boil the water before drinking it.
“People got sick today and died the next day – we lost eight,” said Pangomso.
“We felt neglected, as second class citizens.”
Councillor Siyamthanda Zaza said he was aware of the system the villagers had built.
He said OR Tambo District Municipality was dragging its feet in protecting streams from pollution and many villages in the area relied on water from streams and rivers.
OR Tambo municipal manager Tshaka Hlazo could not be reached for comment. — loyisom@dispatch.co.za
Residents do it for themselves
Residents of Ward 19 in Jambeni Village near Lusikisiki adopted a vukuzenzele (Do It Yourself) attitude after their requests for piped water in the village fell on deaf ears.
The project, dubbed “Mamsiza”, a Zulu word which loosely translated means “the helper”, began in May last year.
It was the brainchild of villager Siyabonga Sibango, 37, a selftaught welder. Sibango said he had called the village together to discuss the idea of using a nearby spring to provide them with water.
“When I saw this water running looking so clean, I decided something had to be done to stop the waste,” he said.
The idea had the backing of local traditional leaders and after a community meeting was held, a steering committee was set up to collect donations of R50 from each household.
The funds were used to buy building materials, including cement, sand, bricks, pipes and crushed stone. The services of local semi-skilled builders, which were offered free of charge, are being used to build a 2m high retaining wall around the spring.
Water from the spring is then fed through a pipe to a nearby 2500 litre Jojo tank that had been lying unused in the village.
The tank, which had been vandalised and had holes in it, has been placed on its side in a specially dug trench in the ground.
An access hole cut in what used to be the base, enables residents to draw water in buckets. But a lack of pressure means residents have to form long queues while waiting for the tank to refill. Health department spokesman Sizwe Kupelo said the tank had originally been delivered to the community as a “temporary intervention” in response to a cholera outbreak in the OR Tambo and Alfred Nzo District municipalities in 2003.
Eight people died that year and villagers believe waterborne illnesses were the cause. Kupelo said the department conducted awareness campaigns and had assisted with water purification.
Elderly resident Nonkazimlo Pangomso, 57, said despite the lack of pressure, the spring water was at least clean and safe to drink.
“Boys used to swim in the river, people used soap to bath themselves and wash their laundry so we used to have to boil the water before drinking it.
“People got sick today and died the next day – we lost eight,” said Pangomso.
“We felt neglected, as second class citizens.”
Councillor Siyamthanda Zaza said he was aware of the system the villagers had built.
He said OR Tambo District Municipality was dragging its feet in protecting streams from pollution and many villages in the area relied on water from streams and rivers.
OR Tambo municipal manager Tshaka Hlazo could not be reached for comment. — loyisom@dispatch.co.za
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