Mama Florence was inspired to find a spring that would support her village, and she succeeded; today, 4000 people have access to water.
Limpopo, South Africa (28 July 2022) – Florence Negondeni, affectionately known as Mama Florence, had a dream about getting water to her village. When she woke, she decided to make the dream real, so she set off into the Murangaphuma mountains and found a spring that was strong enough to support everyone in the village.
The village of Tshakuma in Limpopo has faced water shortages since 2012. With municipal water somewhat unreliable, many of the residents would walk every day to collect water in buckets. The essential element is not only needed for personal care and hygiene, but also to water animals and plants that form the base of these rural villagers’ diets.
Without access to water, the village would face even greater poverty.
Mama Florence tapped into her ancestral knowledge, and after finding and assessing seventeen springs, she found one that would be enough for her village. Together the community raised the money needed to set up a system to get the water from the spring, down into the village. Within two weeks, all 4000 villagers had access to fresh water.
In the beginning, 113 households contributed R1000 each, and a total of R113,000 was raised for the project. Once the village was connected to the water source, it began to thrive.
The Water Research Commission (WRC) partnered with the community to establish greater infrastructure for the Multiple-Use Water Services (MUS) project. With Mama Florence as chairperson, she has been able to work closely with Virginia Molose, a Research Manager at the Water Research Commission in the interest of the villagers.
Virginia is an advocate for Multiple-Use Water Services (MUS) and is a founding member of the MUS Project, a 4-year plan supported by the African Development Bank. With her involvement on the ground, she has found that there is higher community participation in water management because there is a greater determination among such communities to find solutions to water problems. Working alongside Mama Florence, she has gained invaluable insight into supply and demand within the greater South African rural context.
Fellow villager Alfred Ntshauba has seen his land flourish since the water was connected. He grows naartjies, avocados, litchis and oranges, in his backyard. Now that he has a proper irrigation system, his fruits are of the best quality. Alfred even earns a good income by selling his fruits to the ladies at the local market.
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