Picture: Aggrieved employees of Phalaborwa Consultant Company barricaded the road between Manthe and Kolong villages/Supplied
By OBAKENG MAJE
The aggrieved employees of Phalaborwa Consultant company that was appointed has been appointed to install pipelines for abstraction of water from the iconic Taung Dam to the Taung Water Treatment Plant and reservoir in Morokweng village embarked on protest.
These employees barricaded a road between Manthe and Kolong villages, near Taung after they were not paid their three months’ salaries. According to one of the employees, Sparks Tshisi, they have tried to get in touch with the company representative, Simon Malatjie but to no avails.
“It’s been three months since last we received our payments. So, we decided to barricade the road in order for the company to pay us. We do have families to feed and we cannot continue to work without being paid.
“We need our salaries and we urge the municipality to intervene. Our Community Liaison Officers (CLOs) are nowhere to be found. The other one said he is in Johannesburg looking for a job, while the other one is in Kuruman also job-hunting,” Tshisi said.
The Phalaborwa Consultant representative, Simon Malatjie and the Member of Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Infrastructure at Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District Municipality, Pico Seepamere failed to respond to our media inquiry regarding the matter.
In 19 March 2022, the R1 billion Taung Bulk Water Supply project was brought to a grinding halt after community members alleged that, the contractor was not properly introduced to them.
Meanwhile, in a statement, the Water and Sanitation department spokesperson, Sputnik Ratau said the project is funded by the Department of Water and Sanitation Regional Bulk Infrastructure Grant (RBIG), with approximately R1 billion allocated to the project.
“The project is one of the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) major infrastructure projects in the North West, aimed at developing water infrastructure that will meet the needs of the community and ensure water security.
“The construction of an adequate infrastructure such as the Taung Bulk Water Supply that can support and supply efficient safe water to communities in Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District Municipality, therefore is a critical input to sustainable growth and development,” Ratau said.
He said the scheme, which is implemented in phases, has created 304 jobs thus far and 189 139 households in more than 55 villages have been targeted to benefit from this water project.
The Guardian 