Business fears closure due to Breyten’s dire water situation
Some townspeople had gone without water for nine weeks and complained that neither the Msukaligwa Local Municipality's water tanker schedules nor any outages were communicated to them.
BREYTEN – More residents have spoken out about the dire water situation they face, to the point where one particular business may have to close down soon as a result.
In its most recent issue, Highvelder heeded locals’ pleas to report on the ongoing water problems they face.
ALSO READ: Water crisis in Breyten amid promises of relief
Some townspeople had gone without water for nine weeks and complained that neither the Msukaligwa Local Municipality’s water tanker schedules nor any outages were communicated to them.
Highvelder received a message from a distressed individual who said he is an employee of a leather factory in town.
“We use four paddles in our factory to clean and soften raw leather before using it to make winter shoes. We produce about 200 pairs of shoes per day. Without water, though, the factory is at a standstill,” he said.
According to him, they have a borehole and a large dam from which they syphon water now, but the dam is nearly empty, so they rely solely on the borehole.
“We are fervently praying for rain to bring some stability to our current predicament. We are a group of 50 people, and if the municipality does not come up with a solution soon, our people will be out of work.”
Another person sent an email to Highvelder.
“We never get word that the water supply will be cut off. You find out when the water is gone,” he stated.
He claimed the municipal workers have no idea how to cavitate pumps and frequently repair them only to damage them again when they start up incorrectly.
“They had a transformer that they used for a while at the end of last year when load-shedding caused pumping problems. It vanished, and when questioned, they claimed they had no idea where it had gone. We were told this year that it was due for service and that it was a privately owned one that they had borrowed,” he said.
Prior to the publication of the previous article, as well as the follow-up, Highvelder emailed numerous questions to the Msukaligwa Municipality.
None of the questions were answered, however Mandla Zwane, the municipality’s spokesman, stated: “The municipality is aware of the water challenges in Breyten. Hence the implementation of the Breyten water scheme in the area and surroundings will ameliorate the situation. The situation is exacerbated by the prolonged electricity outages. The municipality appeals to the community to be patient while a long-lasting solution is implemented. The municipality apologise to the community affected community for the inconvenience this may have caused.”
Read the complete article in Highvelder.
