Limpopo Business 2016-17 edition

SPECIAL FEATURE
taken in South Africa. When complete, it will provide
an additional 4 764 megawatts, which will massively
enhance the country’s generation capacity. Medupi
is located in Lephalale in the far west of Limpopo,
and next to an existing power station where coal is
abundant. Unit 5 is expected to come on stream in
the first half of 2017.
The De Hoop Dam across the Steelpoort River
in the east of Limpopo has started supplying water
to rural communities who previously had to walk
to rivers to fetch water. These communities in the
Waterberg, Capricorn and Sekhukhune districts are
beneficiaries of a vast project that will also deliver
water to towns and mining operations in the area.
More than a million people will get water from the
dam, which cost approximately R3.4-billion to build
and has a capacity of 347 600 000m³. In terms of the
broader scheme under which the De Hoop Dam
falls, some 23 platinum mines stand to benefit.
Water and sanitation
In order to come up with a coordinated strategy in a
time of drought, the Provincial Government of Limpopo
convened a Provincial Water and Sanitation Summit in
2015. A technical team from the national Department of
Public Works is assisting the provincial entity in providing
clean water in the Sekhukhune District Municipality,
Polokwane City and Mogalakwena Local Municipality.
These are seen as priority projects in response to the
drought and to ensure that the economies of these
municipalities can thrive.
A vital project for schools is the Accelerated School
Infrastructure Programme (ASIDI),
which is run by the Mvula Trust
on behalf of the national departments
of Basic Education and Water
and Sanitation and the Limpopo
Department of Education.
The Mvula Trust arose out of
an initiative of the Independent
Development Trust and the Kagiso
Trust, and is the NGO responsible
for rolling out various water and
sanitation programmes for national
government.
The programme reached a total of 115 schools
in all five of the province’s district municipalities:
Capricorn District Municipality: (20 schools); Mopani
(23 schools); Sekhukhune (46 schools); Vhembe (23
schools); Waterberg (three schools). The governing
bodies of all the schools were consulted, 17 contractors
were hired to do the work, and various professionals
such as a geohydrologist and occupational
health and safety consultants were employed to roll
out the project.
New water supplies were created for 64 schools
and 37 got new sanitation facilities. A total of 661
temporary jobs were created in the process of drilling
boreholes, excavating, laying pipes and cables,
installing tanks and building new structures. A
health and hygiene educational component was
also included in the programme.
Community and co-operatives
Makotse is a small village in the Capricorn District
about 40km from the provincial capital of Polokwane.
Many people in the areas are unemployed but the
Makotse Women’s Club is making a difference
through a range of projects that are not only serving
the community but providing income. The club
has won several awards, including one awarded
by the Independent Development Trust and the
Department of Health and Social Development for
exemplary management (of the Makotse Bakery). An
off-shoot of the bakery business provides catering
services from a menu that includes mealie-meal
(bogobe), samp, chicken (kgogo) and beetroot.
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