Residents strike over water
No one entered or left this township and Newscom as community members barricaded all major roads with trees, stones and burning tyres on Monday and Tuesday.
The community of KaBokweni cited the shortage of water as their main concern, while Newscom residents demanded better roads.
“Our demands are simple. We only want water services to be restored. We have been without clean running water for months now. What makes the situation
even worse is the fact that we are faced with a pandemic, Covid-19, and are supposed to have water for hygienic reasons.
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“We are not doing this just for KaBokweni residents, but for all the people of the province who come here for services at Themba Hospital. It is no secret that there is no water at that hospital. Who must die first for government to realise that this situation is dire and needs immediate attention?” said
one of the strike leaders, Mbongeni Maseko.
He said they were hopeful that with the recent heavy rainfall their water woes would come to an end.
“We were hoping we would start getting water like other communities, but still nothing and no one from government is addressing the community about this
problem,” he continued.
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This community vowed to intensify their strike if nothing is done to address their concerns. Better roads infrastructure was on top of the agenda as Newscom residents also took to the streets on Tuesday.
They said their roads have been neglected by government.
“Before the heavy rain, the roads were so full of potholes and we had already learned to live with the potholes.
“But the roads are worse now because of the recent rain. There are no roads at all and government can’t even come here and create temporary roads while we wait for the disaster relief grant,” said Vincent Mthimkhulu, the leader of the strike in this area.
They too, vowed not to return nor surrender until they have better roads.
The City of Mbombela, through its spokesperson, Joseph Ngala, said the water challenges at KaBokweni were caused by flooding pipes and valves following the heavy rains.
“But we are working hard to fix this problem. In the meantime, we are providing this community and many other affected areas with water using the services
of water tankers. All we are asking for is time and patience,” said Ngala.
