Pushing wheelbarrows loaded with 20-litre drums of water has become a daily routine for residents of Xikukwane village in Giyani, Limpopo, where getting water closer to homes remains a distant pipe dream for many households.

The village, one of at least 55 in Giyani, were meant to receive clean water through a 320km pipeline from Nandoni to Nsami dams, which would supply the villages through the failed Giyani Bulk Water project. The project was started in 2014 and was left incomplete after allegations of corruption, which saw its budget balloon to R3.3bn...