By Theodorah waga Mawasha
MARIVENI VILLAGE-Mariveni village, in Greater Tzaneen, has been hit hard by water shortages. In light of this development, services at the local Mariveni clinic have also been suspended.
It is said that community members took to the streets recently to demonstrate their dissatisfaction by protesting against water scarcity and the widespread lack of service delivery.
According to some residents, the local government is failing dismally considering the fact that the challenges eventually escalated to the suspension of services at the clinic forcing them to travel to neighbouring villages to access medical care.
“The clinic services poor people. The government must prioritize us. The whole village is affected by water shortage. They must come up with a solution to ensure that operation at the clinic is not affected at least “, a patient said.
The Department of Health Director and media liaison Neil Shikwambana poured cold water on the claims citing that it was not the department’s decision to close the facility.
“We are aware of the closure of the clinic. However, correcting the statement made by residents, was not the department’s decision. The facility was closed by residents who were protesting due to water shortage in the area”, Shikwambana said.
