Turbulence resurfaces around Nandoni - waterless residents go on the rampage

BUDELI village is no resort, but its residents wake up to a beautiful scenery every morning.

This is the village outside Thohoyandou in Venda that counts the multi-million rand Nandoni Dam as its neighbour.

Since its opening in 2005, the famous dam has been many things to different people.

Tourists and leisure seekers use it as a playground on which they speedboat and fish.

Several privately owned picnic sites have mushroomed along its banks, setting the stage for high-profile events for party-goers.

Many distant communities in Vhembe district regard it as their trusted source of water. But to Budeli villagers, some of whom have drowned in its 43m-deep waters, Nandoni dam is looked at with contempt.

This is because the dam has not lived up to its expectations since its official opening nearly 10 years ago, Budeli Civic Association secretary Nyadzeni Makhado told Sowetan yesterday.

Yesterday, residents of Budeli and Dumasi villages used rocks, burning tyres and tree branches to barricade the R524 national road from Louis Trichardt to Kruger National Park's Punda Maria Gate, in an attempt to force the Vhembe district municipality to respond to a memorandum they had submitted two weeks ago.

"The communities will not stop this protest until service delivery is served," civic leader Makhado vowed. He revealed that the dam was built after residents from surrounding villages entered into an agreement with the then department of water affairs to relocate and make way for the dam's construction.

"In return, the department promised to build new houses for those who lost their homes, compensate those who lost farming land and to install taps in each and every house in the village," Makhado said.

"People were mostly happy to get their new houses and financial compensation, although not everybody was fairly compensated."

Makhado, whose office has written numerous letters to different government departments at national, provincial and district level, has been collaborating with residents of neighbouring Dumasi village to "remind" government officials of the promise to have taps installed in every household in surrounding villages.

He said most villages next to the dam depend on "unreliable street taps that can supply water today and not supply it tomorrow".

"We had to fight to get the street taps. They were only made available this year."

Makhado said the street taps came after the Budeli and Dumasi villages protested earlier this year during former water affairs minister Edna Molewa's visit to the area to officially open pipelines at the dam.

However, Vhembe district's spokesman Matodzi Ralushai said attention was being given to areas like Budeli and Dumasi.

"The municipality has improved water supply in the affected areas, but delays of the Nandoni project contributed in change of reticulations plans but the matter is getting attention," Ralushai said.

"We request [the villagers] to utilise street taps until reticulations project is implemented."

Note: The town of Makhado officially reverted to its original name of Louis Trichardt last week.

mazibilas@sowetan.co.za

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