President Cyril Ramaphosa says lack of skills and corruption have been the prime causes of delays in the completion of the controversial Giyani Water Project in Limpopo.

Ramaphosa was addressing scores of residents at Giyani Stadium.

He made an oversight visit to the project at Nandoni Dam outside Thohoyandou.

The SIU is investigating senior officials from Lepelle Northern Water, for alleged corruption and mismanagement of funds amounting to R1 billion.

Senior officials from the water utility have been suspended following investigations.

Ramaphosa says those responsible for corruption at the project will be brought to book.

“The special investigating unit SIU is busy working on numerous cases and as the minister has said they will be consequences in instances where the money has disappeared without work done they shall be consequences.”

Giyani bulk water project:

The project was further delayed last week when workers from Malamulele site downed tools over non-payment of salaries.

The chairperson of Lepelle Northern Water, Ndweleni Mphephu says they will ensure that there are no further salary payment delays in the future.

“It really disturbed our momentum we should have done a lot of work but we managed to do the payment quickly and in future. We have sorted it our that they won’t be any delays on the payments and the workers will be paid on time and we should be able to complete all the work in two weeks that the pipe is functional we are just doing the pressure testing,” says Mphephu.

Meanwhile, Water Affairs and Sanitation minister Senzo Mchunu was non-committal regarding the deadline…

“I cant say when will taps be connected because we say these things and we get disappointed either by strike like it happened. We try to tighten administration that supports work on the ground so that contactors are not disturbed by anything just last week because of non-payments by people who are in offices.”

Some residents in Giyani say the water problems have been going on for far too long.

“We have been living without water for a very long time and we don’t want even bath. We are requesting the president to intervene and help us. The people of Giyani have been crying and its not okay.”

Ramaphosa promised residents in Giyani that the project will be completed by the 30th of March 2023.

Giyani bulk water project still incomplete after 14 years: