Clean water flows for Nongoma
AFTER years of enduring long walks to fetch water from the river, residents of Doncaneni, Ngolotshe and Masokaneni outside Nongoma have access to clean water.
This after local mining company Zululand Anthracite Colliery (ZAC) handed over boreholes, dams, JoJo tanks and communal taps to residents.
ZAC social development manager Khumbulani Masuku said they invested around R1m.
“The community is in dire need of water, which is why we decided to action this initiative,” said Masuku.
The handover was facilitated in partnership with Nongoma Municipality, with the handover attended by Mayor Cliford Ndabandaba.
Starting in Ward 11 at Doncaneni, residents welcomed a borehole, water tank and drinking troughs for cattle and goats. Another project was delivered to residents of Ngolotshe.
The last handover was at Masokaneni, where the community received a livestock dam and a communal tap connected to uMngeni Water.
Masuku said the water scarcity also affects local subsistence farmers who struggle to access drinking water for their animals.
“We know water is a life-giving element, which impacts people and animals.
“Through this project, we aim to play our role by working together with local government to assist our communities. To date, we have provided 262 558 000 litres of clean, potable water to communities,” he said.
Ndabandaba said it was important for local government to form partnerships with companies on community upliftment:
“We are glad to see the work that was done by ZAC. It is a blessing for us to see our people being supplied with water.”
He said his municipality would assist in maintaining the infrastructure by dispatching its Expanded Public Works Programme team to conduct regular checks on the borehole and water tanks.