Malawi: The Government of Free State is taking on the responsibility to tackle the issue of water in the province. The administration had promised to tackle the issue of water mafia head on for the good of the people of the province.
The promise on this issue came from Water and Sanitation Minister Pemmy Majodina. She made the remarks after she took an oversight visit at the Lesotho Highlands Water Tunnel.
She visited the area near Clarens on Saturday, 01 February 2025. The officials have shared that the issue of water mafia has been prevalent in the community for ages
The minister said that the well being of the people of Clarens and surrounding areas takes precedence and as such, criminals who tamper with water infrastructure, will be severely punished.
“We came to Clarens to see the progress of the project. I am happy because during this period, our people in Clarens had consistent water supply. We cannot overemphasise the importance of water provision and we are working consistently to ensure that our people have water,” Minister Majodina said.
She also fired off a warning to criminals who intend to destroy the infrastructure.
“We will not allow illegal water connections. We will also hunt and arrest criminals who destroy our infrastructure with the hope that they will get contracts to deliver water to communities. We will deal harshly with such people because our communities are suffering as a result of their selfish actions,” said Minister Majodina.
Premier MaQueen Letsoha-Mathae said the provincial government will continuously monitor the project.
“We will support the municipality and do monitoring to ensure that the project is successful. Working together with the municipality, we will ensure that we provide water for our people,” said Premier Letsoha-Mathae.
In attendance was the Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation David Maphohoshe, Deputy Minister of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Seiso Mohai as well as the MEC for Cogta and Human Settlements Saki Mokoena.