Pretoria: North West Premier Thandi Modise has urged the residents of Majakaneng, near Brits, to give government a chance to implement its R2 billion provincial water plan before staging protests.

In a statement on Thursday, the premier called on residents to give the provincial government the space needed to give effect to the intervention which it is rolling out.

She condemned the violent protest in Majakaneng, which saw the torching of a cement truck and urged communities to exercise their constitutional right to protest responsibly and not destroy properties.

The provincial government has committed to engaging with stakeholders and community representatives from those communities who are faced with water challenges to outline the water projects plan, she said in a statement on Thursday.

“There is therefore no need for communities to be misled into participating in illegal marches,” said Modise.

In January, Water and Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa and Modise announced a Project Implementation Plan to ease water shortages in municipalities in the North West.

The plan allocates money for bulk infrastructure upgrades and borehole refurbishments. The upgrades will provide various local municipalities with the capacity to meet the basic demand of 60 litres of water per person per day.

Kgwele said the projects laid out in the plan included the development of a groundwater scheme in Mankwe and Madikwe and the replacement of old asbestos cement pipes that frequently burst, among other things.