25 Feb 2025

Residents of Lepokole have requested their Member of Parliament to prioritise his advocacy for the village on provision of reliable, potable water and tarring of their 28km gravel road that connect them to Bobonong where they access most of the services.

Speaking during a kgotla meeting addressed by Bobirwa MP, Mr Taolo Lucas in Lepokole Monday, residents said provision of reliable and potable water by connecting the village to the Thune water scheme would be a panacea to their nagging water problems.

The critical water shortage problem is persistent in the five villages of Lepokole, Mabolwe, Semolale, Gobojango and Mothabaneng in the Bobonong constituency.

The villages were to be connected to the Thune dam water pipeline, a project that was to kick-off in April 2021 and completed in March 2022 according to a council brief in November 2020.

However, in September 2022, the residents of the five villages learnt that the tenders for the Thune water scheme project meant to supply water to their villages were cancelled due to some technical issues, a letter from the project management office of the then ministry of lands and water affairs addressed to then Bobirwa Sub-District Council stated.

The letter authored August 17, 2022 stated that the tenders for the two projects, one for connecting Mothabaneng to Mathathane water pipeline and another for the villages of Lepokole, Gobojango, Semolale and Mabolwe, have been cancelled owing to ‘some technical issues.’

The villages are currently watered through some low-yielding boreholes while others receive bowsed water through Water Utilities Corporation trucks.

Lepokole reportedly suffered dire water shortage during the past rainy days since the trucks could not maneuver their ways through the challenging gravel road that features high and low areas, with multiple rivers and streams to cross.

The gravel road cuts across over 20 streams and tributaries and two rivers of Keisane and Mosu, the latter having a bridge and some few meters of tarred road on either side. The road itself turns a stream during torrential rains and therefore renders access to the village a major challenge.

WUC trucks have to feed the water tanks stationed 24km away from the village and the pipeline would then water Lepokole from there.

The village tribal leader, kgosi Mompoloki Lemponye led the calls for reliable, potable water and a tarred road, arguing that as a remote area settlement they deserved better treatment from the government.

“We tend to compare ourselves with other villages in Bobirwa and arrive to the conclusion that we are marginalised,” said kgosi Lemponye.

He appealed to the area MP to advocate for water provision and tarring of the road to his village to be prioritised either through some special dispensation or national development plan.

His calls were echoed by the village development committee chairperson, Ms Matshediso Phuthego who revealed that some parts of the village continued suffering poor water reticulation even when the situation was deemed to have normalised.

“Some people opt to use their small vehicles to traverse between Bobonong and Lepokole despite the road not permitting because they have run out of options,” she said.

She suggested that department of road attended to some troubling spots along the road such as at Keisane river to facilitate road users to be able to use the road even during rainy times.

While responding to their calls, MP Lucas conceded to the residents’ concerns as troubling and therefore deserving of prioritisation.

The MP said that he was engaging with Mmadinare MP, Mr Ketlhalefile Motshegwa to advocating for tarring of the gravel road from Bobonong through Lepokole, Tshokwe and Robelela to A1 road.

“In that way, the road will affect the three remote area settlements directly and others indirectly,” said Mr Lucas who also said that his constituency would also prioritise tarring of Mathathane-Mothabaneng gravel road.

As for the nagging water problems, the area MP informed his electorate that the minister of Water and Human Settlement, Mr Onneetse Ramogapi has agreed to visit the affected villages to apprise the residents of the developments concerning the water project. ENDS