Water restored to parts of Hazyview, but villages still dry

The City of Mbombela’s general manager of water and sanitation, Louis Sibuyi, has assured the public that the recent water crisis in Numbi Park and the Hazyview CBD has been attended to.

Numerous reports of there being no water in Numbi Park, Sand River, Shabalala and the Hazyview CBD surfaced over the past two months.

Sibuye said, “The situation was rectified as of Sunday October 9. The Eskom substation starter behind Junction Mall in the CBD was actually fixed on Tuesday October 4, but then another problem occurred. We immediately attended to it, and Numbi Park’s supply is back to normal.”

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However, residents of Shabalala, Sand River and surrounding village areas remain without water, as the City of Mbombela’s water and sanitation department has yet to award tenders to fix damaged and stolen infrastructure and to attend to maintenance.

Shabalala residents allege the water was deliberately switched off in May last year so that “comrades with water tank trucks could benefit.”

“We used to have water in our yards for years, until last year when they switched it off and started to supply water with trucks. We are forced to buy water from the same trucks that are contracted with the CoM.”

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Another community member said, “We have tried to engage the municipality, but our demands fall on deaf ears, so we decided to use the language they understand better,” they said.

The Sand River community is still dependent on water tankers, but for the months of August and September, no tankers arrived at all. “We were told the trucks are broken, but they become available for those who can afford to pay. We believe that our problem can only be resolved if we can take it to the street,” they said.

According to long-time Numbi Park resident Daleen Becker: “Over the last 10 years, we have regularly gone without water. We have reported it and complained so often, and eventually we decided as residents to patrol the pump stations ourselves to prevent the looting of pumps and the theft of diesel.

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“In Numbi Park, we go without water more often than we have it. You can try and phone the superintendent all day long. You will never get through,” she said.

Updates on the situation in Shabalala and Sand River from Mbombela’s Department of Water and Sanitation were unavailable by the time of going to press.