Poverty-stricken community of Zwelishane Trust left without clean water
Without clean running water for just over eight months, the sprawling settlement of Zwelishane Trust is home to scores of families living in extreme poverty, struggling daily just to access enough water to drink and wash themselves.
The settlement, which is just outside Mbombela, has relied on weekly tankers and a small nearby stream polluted with rubbish and dead animals for their drinking water since January, leaving much of the community weak and sick.
A Zwelishane resident, Nonhlanhla Mathebula, said much of the community is unemployed, however, people are still having to fork out up to R800 a month for clean water. Residents rely primarily on social grants, makeshift “markets” and other avenues to create an income.
“The water we collect from the stream is unfit for human consumption. There are tankers from Silulumanzi which stop at the soccer field on Fridays and we line up to fill our containers to have potable water,” said Mathebula. “We are all struggling to survive here and now we do not have water. Some of us have been without it since December last year.
“We also have to buy water. We spend between R500 and R800 a month for someone to deliver it to us, but we battle to afford it. Many of us are not working and have large families to look after,” she said.
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Another resident, Zodwa Nkosi, told Lowvelder, “We have only had a trickle of water since January and have to fork out up to R400 for potable water to be delivered.” Besides the ubiquitous water tanks, each house has an adjoining pit latrine and without running water, the stench of human waste fills the air.
For the elderly, making the steep climb for the weekly delivery from Silulumanzi presents another challenge. “Once the containers are filled, carrying it back down presents another hurdle which could potentially lead to a severe fall for the elderly in the area,” she added.
When Lowvelder visited Zwelishane last Friday, residents walked reporters down a steep muddy hill where a small body of water appeared among a mountain of rubbish, including soiled nappies, plastic bottles, old washing basins, rotting food and even a dead cat or two.
The uneven terrain down to the river is walked up to five times a day by community members, including 80-year-old Madala Mthembu who uses a piece of old wood as a walking stick due to a bad leg. Mthembu said walking to fetch water was “very difficult”.
Another resident, Thandi Mathenjwa, chimed in, “I am running a business and this has affected me in the worst way possible. Remember, the Silulumanzi tankers cannot reach the lower-lying homes which are a big challenge for the older residents.
“With Covid-19, maintaining hygiene to keep the coronavirus at bay is an even greater problem.
We pay so much for water so getting hand sanitiser makes an even bigger dent in the little we have. How can we wash our hands when we don’t even have water?” Deliwe Silindi (74) has been living at Zwelishane Trust for the past three years and commented that her pension does not even begin to cover the cost of water.
“Most of the time I cannot afford to buy water because I live with my grandson who depends on me,” she explained. The residents use water from the stream for doing their laundry and flushing the raw sewage in the pit latrines.
The tanks outside their homes provide rainwater which is treated with bleach for drinking and washing. This, however, poses serious health risks for adults and children alike. “While we are living this way, we ask ourselves where the leadership is.
These issues have been reported to the Ward 2 councillor, Mandla Mnisi, numerous times, but no help is forthcoming.”
When contacted by Lowvelder for comment, Mnisi said he was not aware of the water woes facing the community. Silulumanzi spokesperson, Richmond Jele, refuted the residents’ claims.
“That is not true, water is being supplied as per the schedule. The supply is only interrupted if there is a burst pipe of the pump line from KaNyamazane to KaBokweni or a break in electricity supply such as with load-shedding.
“Remember, the pumps used to draw water from the rivers use electricity. Additionally, there are new settlements that do not have pipes connected to their homes.
With the exception of these, Daantjie and Msogwaba receive water on alternate days from Silulumanzi water tankers.”
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Lowvelder is waiting for comment from Mbombela spokesperson Joseph Ngala.
