.D3KXQJD IRON GULQN XQFOHDQ ZDWHU
KAPHUNGA – A local adage that a ‘grader, though used for road construction is not permitted to drive on the same road’ is true for KaPhunga folk.
Some residents around KaPhunga can relate to this adage in that they claim to have participated in digging up an area for community water projects, from which they are not benefitting.
They have now been left with the tag, meaning and ‘trench diggers. The residents now have no option but to drink unclean water from the rivers.
Though some of the residents are said to be benefitting and using the water for drinking, others said they had been denied this opportunity and that they were forced to drink water from the river instead. *Moses, who is one of the residents said about 10 years ago, a committee was formed for the construction of a water network.
'(3(1'(17
He said this meant introducing tap water to the community that was dependent on fetching water from the nearby river. Moses said several residents participated and that they were asked to pay fees for connection to their areas.
However, he said several years later, this did not take place and that they still did not have access to potable water. He said some who could afford ended up paying for tankers to deliver the water to the homesteads. Also, Moses revealed that this was a huge concern to some of the residents because they were losing patience. He said especially the youth was concerned, because they did not understand why their parents had worked so hard to get the water project off the ground yet they were not benefitting from it.
He said what angered the youth
most, was that some of the residents had access to the water yet others did not. Moses said over 50 homesteads were not given access to the water. He said no valid reason except that he blamed this on the ongoing disputes with the area, as some of the residents are said to be considered as not being part of the chiefdom. Moses said the residents including some elderly were made to dig trenches for the water pipes to run through, but certain homesteads
were bypassed. He said this was wrong because the project had taken long and he doubted if there would ever be another project for the community. *Jack, who is also a resident of KaPhunga said the lack of water in the area affected their livelihood as they were not able to carry out certain activities to generate income. Jack said he was not able to breed chickens or pigs because he did not have water.
*Not real names.