Good Samaritan, Geil cries for his thirsty village, Molepolole

Geil Stroh (80) is a well-known man in Molepolole village. This does not come as a surprise because Geil (as popularly known) is the main source of water in Molepolole. There is little to no water flow in Molepolole, with some taps reported to have been dry for the past seven years. The situation is so bad in that the community buys water on a daily basis for survival. However, using the borehole he dug for his family inside their home, Geil has been supplying water to Molepolole residents for many years now.

The community depends heavily on his borehole for water. The borehole feeds close to 80% of the Bakwena tribe on a daily basis. Everyday big trucks and vans make their way to Geil’s home to fill up huge tanks and transport the water to the people.

The Midweek Sun team recently paid the famous old white man a visit and evidently enough, the team was met by the roaring movements of big vehicles coming in and out of the Stroh compound. Geil is such a humble old man. And because of his colour, one could be forgiven for thinking he only speaks English. Well, The Midweek Sun team was left heavily embarrassed after greeting him in English only for him to chuckle and respond in fluent Setswana.

He even spiced the salutations with a bit of Sekgalagadi and Sesarwa, much to our dismay. He was born and raised a Motswana and the love he has for Molepolole is overwhelming. He has lived in the village all his life, hence the way the community is currently struggling with water pains him to the core. At the end of each day, he goes to bed a very tired man. He begins filling up people’s water tanks as early as half past five (0530 HRS) in the morning until half past seven (1930 HRS) in the evening. Geil says they normally give out 230 000 litres of water per day.

The old man and his wife are basically sharing their water free of charge. For a 25 litre container they charge only P1. Geil says it pains him to see people begging for a single drop of water and it is not his intention to sell water to the people, neither does he do it by choice. Talking about the water struggle in Molepolole brings Geil to tears. He immediately gets very emotional. With eyes soaked in tears and a cracking voice, the old man says, “Enough is enough, I cannot take it anymore it is has been years, people need a break, they are thirsty, they are dirty.”

He sniffs and swallows what seems to be a painful lump. He adds that it is very depressing to find placards in hospitals emblazoned with messages informing the community that there is no water. He wonders how doctors and nurses manage to attend to patients daily or how they deal with emergencies for that matter.