100-year-old resident uses grant money for water as Musina crisis deepens

In parts of Musina in Limpopo, elderly and disabled residents say they are struggling to cope with an unreliable water supply. That makes basic hygiene difficult, increases the risk of disease and forces them to spend grant money on water.

100-year-old Judas Tlou lives alone in Matswale Extension 14. The water crisis means getting by with a  2,500-litre Jojo tank, which he says he bought using his old-age grant. But because of the irregular municipal water supply, his Jojo tank rarely fills up and is often empty. 

“I sacrificed to buy this Jojo tank from my old-age grant,” he says.

While he does have a flush toilet in his house, the water shortage renders it unusable.  

Without enough water to flush, he says he sometimes has to relieve himself in nearby bushes, about 500 metres from his yard, because he is worried about creating an unhygienic situation close to where he lives.

Tlou’s advanced age also makes it nearly impossible for him to fetch water. His nearest neighbour with a borehole is about a kilometre away – too far for him to walk to ask for water.

Long-running water crisis

Musina, part of the Vhembe District Municipality, has struggled with chronic water shortages for more than a decade, reflecting a wider water crisis in the district.

In Matswale township, residents say municipal taps are often dry, water tankers come only occasionally, and many households have had to find their own ways to store and buy water.

Stats SA’s General Household Survey 2024 found that Limpopo recorded the country’s biggest decline in access to piped or tap water between 2002 and 2024, dropping by 10.9 percentage points. 

The report notes that unreliable access to water continues to undermine public health, especially in rural and peri-urban communities where infrastructure remains inconsistent.

Family with disabilities struggles without water

Water shortages are compounded for Lydia Ngovheza, a 44-year-old mother of five who is physically disabled and uses a wheelchair.

Ngovheza’s three eldest children all live with disabilities. Her 24-year-old and 13-year-old have physical disabilities, while her 18-year-old has a developmental disability, is non-verbal and needs a high level of care. Her two youngest children, aged seven and six, are too young to help fetch water.

She says municipal tap water usually comes late at night, sometimes only once or twice a month, and often for too short a time to connect the tap water to her Jojo tank to fill it up.

“Municipal water is rarely delivered. If it comes, it is usually at midnight for only two hours, and I have to put my wheelchair outside to connect [the pipe from the tap to] my Jojo tank,” she says. 

“Otherwise, we buy water for R300, which only lasts a week.” 

Tlou and Ngovheza’s stories reflect a wider crisis in Musina, where long-running water shortages are making daily life harder for poor households, especially for the elderly, disabled or those caring for children with disabilities.

Families rely on rainwater, bought water and water tankers

Many residents in Matswale bought 2,500-litre Jojo tanks, using social grants to store municipal water when it’s available, or they pay for water from private borehole owners. Households are also lining up 20-litre containers outside their yards to collect rainwater.

Residents say shortages are particularly severe in Ward 6, including Matswale Extensions 10 and 14.

Resident Hazel Nemutavhanani accuses the local government of supplying water reliably only during election periods.

“Water prices depend on private suppliers. Filling a 2,500-litre Jojo tank costs R300 to R500, which is unaffordable for families living solely on social grants,” she says. 

Nemutavhanani says the municipality should provide Jojo tanks to residents and pump water directly into them.

Doctor warns of disease risk

Residents say many of their neighbours in Matswale have resorted to relieving themselves in nearby bushes outside their yards because they have empty Jojo tanks and no running water to flush their toilets.

According to Stats SA’s General Household Survey 2024, Limpopo had the lowest access to improved sanitation in the country, at 62%. In the absence of flush toilets, 68% of households in the province used pit latrines. The survey also notes that reliance on unimproved sanitation and relieving oneself in the open are more common in rural areas.

Dr Amon Maanda, acting clinical manager at Musina Hospital, says the water shortages have serious health consequences.

He says many residents do not have enough water for proper handwashing after relieving themselves in public spaces, which increases the risk of spreading disease.

“When residents use the bush to relieve themselves, they often have no water to wash their hands. This increases the risk of contaminating food and spreading diseases such as cholera,” he says.

Maanda says only a few communal taps in the area are working, while some residents must walk long distances to reach households with boreholes.

He warns that the shortages could increase the risk of future disease outbreaks.

“In the long term, we are likely to face outbreaks that will place additional strain on already stretched hospital resources.”

Small businesses also affected

A 49-year-old food vendor who sells food on the road to Alldays township in the area, and who asked not to be named, says the lack of water makes it harder to maintain hygiene and keep customers.

“It makes my business very difficult to run. I need water every time to cook food for sale,” she says. 

She says when there is no water in her Jojo tank or in her taps, she can’t prepare food to sell, and does not make money on those days.  

“My customers need to wash their hands before enjoying the food they bought. If I do not practise good hygiene, I will lose customers.”

Poor governance 

Councillor Manavhela says former Water and Sanitation Minister Senzo Mchunu visited Musina in 2022, and plans were put in place to address the crisis.

“One long-term solution involves sourcing water from Zimbabwe to reduce reliance on unreliable boreholes,” he says.

He says only 27 of Musina’s 47 boreholes are working due to maintenance costs, theft and vandalism. 

According to Manavhela only one of the municipality’s four water pumps is operational at its pump station, while two water pumps installed with support from Venetia Mine are still not working because of technical problems.

Manavhela says the Vhembe District Municipality appointed two contractors worth more than R195 million in late January as part of a long-term plan to improve Musina’s water supply. 

Health-e News sent questions to Vhembe District Municipality acting spokesperson, Moses Shivambu in February and followed up several times, but had not received a response by the time of publication. – Health-e News

*Additional reporting by Adel Van Niekerk