Residents of Limpopo’s Dopeni-Matsharini village demand clean water

Residents of Dopeni-Matsharini village outside Thohoyandou in Limpopo are demanding access to clean and safe drinking water.

They say they have relied on water from a hot spring for more than 30 years .

Some say they have been sharing water with livestock.

The village is among several communities in the Vhembe District that have experienced prolonged water shortages .

Dopeni-Matsharini village lies on the Tshipise hot spring water belt.

Without access to reliable running water, residents depend on the natural spring for their daily needs.

The residents share the water source with livestock and animals, which include baboons and monkeys.

The residents have also raised concerns about littering and the dumping of animal carcasses in and around the water source.

They say this poses a risk to their health.

Some residents say the lack of a reliable water supply has left them dependent on the spring for over 30 years.

“We struggle when we do not have water.

At times, we are forced to share water with animals.

We have been exercising our right to vote, but despite this, we have not seen any visible change, we are still without water,” says one of the residents.

Another resident says; “We have been struggling with water since the year 1994 after we voted.