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The Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation, Ms Judith Tshabalala has applauded the South African Female Riders Forum for the humanitarian relief of 1.5 million litres of water they donated to the community of Hammanskraal and called other like-minded organisations to follow suite.

She made these remarks on Saturday, 03 June 2023 when she traversed Temba and surrounds, with hundreds of bikers, mainly females, making a difference in communities which have been adversely affected by the cholera outbreak in recent weeks.

Deputy Minister Tshabalala said during the time of crisis, organisations such a South African Female Riders Forum come in handy and government and affected communities appreciate any kind of assistance they can get.

“As the country we need to learn to stop the kind of bickering that we have seen in the last while, be united on a common cause to alleviate water challenges. We need to take our political caps out and focus on the task at hand and assist our people.

“We need all hands-on deck and these bikers have shown us how it is done by uniting, putting together their limited resources, dedicated their time, left the comfort of their families in Mpumalanga, North West and all over Gauteng to come and lend a helping hand here in Hammanskraal”, she said.

The bikers led by Sully Motsweni, popularly known as “Bosslady” in the biking world braced the scorching weather in Hammanskraal dressed in their famous leather apparel and emptied trucks full of bottled of water and traversed needy communities.

Bosslady was upbeat about their initiative and said they don’t care about politics that have come to the fore as a result of the Hammanskraal water situation. 

“After deliberations as bikers, we approached Minister Senzo Mchunu and he welcomed our initiative with appreciation. He said he will not be with us in this drive, but he will not stop our work.  In turn, he delegated his deputy, Ms Judith Tshabalala to support us. We appreciate the support that has been shown by the Department of Water and Sanitation, particularly Minister Mchunu and Deputy Minister Tshabalala, who embraced us”, said the elated Motsweni.

After visiting various households in Temba, old age homes and homes of the disabled, the entourage had their last stop at Majaneng outside Temba where they found the community under Chief Moshate waiting for water. The bikers had dispatched two large trucks with thousands of litres of water.

Issued by the Department of Water & Sanitation