Residents of Kabe Village, located outside Mahikeng, are facing a dire water shortage, with broken boreholes, leaking tanks, and dry communal taps leaving hundreds of households struggling to access clean water.
Despite promises of relief in 2019, when six boreholes were reportedly drilled by the Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality, most of them are now non-functional. With only 2.9% of the village’s nearly 300 households having private boreholes, the community depends on communal taps—many of which have been dry for years.
Broken Promises, Ongoing Suffering
Molehatsapa Maseng, a frustrated resident, explained that the boreholes and water tanks installed years ago are no longer operational.
“The tanks you see here belong to the municipality, but they are all leaking. The pipes are dilapidated, and the water doesn’t reach us,” Maseng said. “The municipality always says they will fix it, but they never come.”
With taps running dry, some villagers have resorted to fetching water from a nearby dam, which poses health risks. Others are forced to buy water or travel long distances to neighboring villages.
“It’s very painful to live without water,” one resident lamented. “We use water to cook and drink, but now we have to queue for hours just to get some. The taps here are not helping.”
Plea for Government Intervention
Residents are calling for urgent government intervention, demanding functional taps in their yards and accountability for failed projects.
“We need help. If you don’t have a donkey cart or a borehole, you suffer,” said one villager. “The government must install proper water infrastructure.”
The Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality requested more time to investigate the matter, leaving residents waiting for solutions while their water crisis worsens.
As the situation persists, Kabe Village’s struggle highlights broader service delivery failures in South Africa’s rural areas, where access to clean water remains an unfulfilled promise for many.
