The Bakwena N1N4 Toll Concessionaire has delivered more than 3million litres of water to the people of Swartruggens since November 2015; 1.9 million litres of which were delivered over the December festive period.
Swartruggens, which lies along the N4 Platinum Highway in the North West province, is one of the communities that has been deeply affected by the ongoing drought in South Africa. The remote position of the town makes it difficult to access, and makes delivering drought relief costly and time consuming.
Bakwena, holds the contract to construct, manage maintain and upgrade the N1 and N4 route, has been working together with the Kgetlengrivier Municipality to provide water supplies to the stricken town. Two water tankers providing 18,000 litres of water at a time to assist the daily water requirements of Swartruggens residents.
“We are concerned about the wellbeing of communities along the N4 route and regularly engage with residents regarding road safety, health and environmental matters,” says Bakwena spokesperson, Charmaine van Wyk. “It has been devastating to see the effects of the drought on the town, which is why we assisted the local community and Kgetlengrivier Municipality since November last year to ensure residents receive water on a daily basis.
“It is our responsibility as custodians of the N1N4 toll road to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the communities within its vicinity,” continues van Wyk. “The residents of Swartruggens are adjacent to N4 and so Bakwena will continue to do their utmost to ensure that they have enough clean drinking water for their families for as long as the drought continues.”