THE Portfolio Committee on Water and Sanitation Chairperson Robert Mashego, confirms that MPs will undertake an oversight visit to Limpopo province to assess progress on completion of the Giyani Bulk Water Project as well get an appraisal on the provision of quality water and sanitation in the province.
The meeting is taking place on Tuesday at 9am at Mavambe Village- Nsami Bulk Pipeline Project.
Mashego said the visit is in line with Section 55 (2) of the Constitution which empowers the National Assembly to provide mechanism to ensure that all organs of state are accountable to it.
The Giyani Bulk Water Project was initiated in 2014 and was envisioned to benefit close to 55 villages in the areas with access to quality water.
Due to various delays and challenges, the project has not reached completion and the department had informed the committee as part of its annual planning programme, that the intention was to complete the project in March 2023.
The department has so far missed four of its own deadlines over the past nine years to complete the project.
The visit will assess if this deadline has been met and if the residents are enjoying the fruits of the investment by government.
“The challenges faced in concluding the Giyani Bulk Water Project have been a sore point for the committee since its establishment in the 6th Parliament.”
“We made a commitment to ensure a focused oversight on the project. Furthermore, this visit will ascertain if the department and its stakeholders had kept their promise and ensure access to clean quality water to those villages,” said Mashego.
The oversight, through in-loco site visits, will also seek to assess the quality of workmanship at various project delivery sites.
The infrastructure development industry has been accused of shoddy workmanship when delivering various projects for government which results in more expenditure through rectification of projects.
He said the committee will use this oversight to assess the quality of products delivered to the people.
Above all, the committee will get a general understanding on the progress made in Limpopo in delivering quality water and sanitation projects.
“The committee remains of the view that access to water and sanitation is a basic right and lack thereof deprives people of their dignity and constitutionally guaranteed rights,” he added.
The committee will use the first day for site visits to gain first-hand information on various project sites and the second day will be dedicated to engagement with government stakeholders including the Department of Water and Sanitation, Lepelle Northern Water and municipalities.
Between 2014 and 2022, costs on the Project skyrocketed from R502 million to R4.5 billion.
Last year, the Minister of Water and Sanitation Senzo Mchunu told the public that the Project would be completed in August 2022, then September 2022.
In December last year, President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed a meeting in Giyani and promised the people that in March 2023 water would be available to communities failing which he would fire his Water and Sanitation Minister Mchunu.
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