By Doreen Mokgolo
- Moretele residents must buy water from tankers or collect from rivers as taps run dry despite decades of promises.
- Schools, clinics and farmers struggle as water projects fail, forcing them to pay up to R250 to fill their tanks.
Scrolla Water Watch: With load shedding now a thing of the past, nationwide water shortage is South Africa’s most urgent crisis. In this series of community-based reporting, we look at how this affects communities.
Thirty years after democracy promised clean water for all, thousands of people in North West’s Moretele municipality are still waiting.

Many residents must buy water from trucks at R200 to R250 per tank, while those who can’t afford it collect water from streams that animals also use.
People with money have drilled boreholes and installed pumps to fill their Jojo tanks.
But most residents are stuck without reliable water despite the municipality’s attempts to fix the problem.
Villages like Kgomo Kgomo and Kontant have seen two water projects fail. Local resident Tumelo Morolong said the first project put in taps, but the water pressure is so low that water rarely comes out.
“On days when there is no supply, residents are forced to buy water from households with boreholes paying R1 a container,” Morolong said.
“Others hire donkey carts to collect from the Tshwane River. It is normal for us to share water with animals.”
A second project to install boreholes also failed when tests showed the water wasn’t safe to drink.
“This is our accepted reality. Water is a basic need which we are promised during election campaigning season but it never reaches us,” Morolong said.

Moretele municipal spokesperson Mothupi Malebe admitted there are water problems but said they are working on solutions.
“We are currently busy with bulk water supply for Ward 7 which includes Mmotla, Moeka, Rabusala Swaartdam and Noroki,” Malebe said.
“There is a Klipdrift water project which will cover areas like Bosplas, Mogogelo and Makapanstad and for yard connections, the municipality is on with the process.”
The situation affects everyone – from schools and clinics to farmers and businesses. While some can afford to buy water, many are left to rely on unsafe water sources.
Pictured above: Dry water taps in Moretele municipality.
Source: Doreen Mokgolo