DEPUTY minister of water and sanitation, David Mahlobo has pointed fingers at the apartheid government for the water challenges in Free State.
This is because many towns in the province have been experiencing water challenges even though they are close to the well capacitated Sterkfontein and Groothoek Dams.
In an exclusive interview with Daily Sun, Mahlobo said apartheid channeled water from Sterkfontein Dam to benefit mines and Eskom in Gauteng and excluded local communities.
"There was a time when people ran out of water in this area because of prolonged drought and other dams and streams were running dry. We have made a decision to turn Sterkfontein from single purpose to multipurpose dam. It was a strategic dam designed by the apartheid government to support economic growth in mines and Eskom in Gauteng.
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"Water from KZN and Lesotho was reserved in Sterkfontein to support mines and Eskom. We have increased the abstraction of water, which means additional licences will be issued. We will take water from the system to our people," he said.
Mahlobo announced that underground water being used by communities is not 100% safe.
"We don't want any South African to die as a result of water diseases," he said.
Meanwhile, deputy minister in the Presidency, Nomasonto Motaung said a R47 million Fika Patso water treatment plant refurbishment is about to be finished. This after Motaung visited the project on Thursday, 9 November.
The plant has been designed to cater to 64 villages in the Thabo Mofutsanyana region. The water challenge has been a crucial challenge for many communities in the province and some municipalities still use water tanks to provide water to residents.
