Phola residents are up in arms, demand clean water
Being without water is also tremendously affecting the children's school performance, as they would spend most of their afternoons on their way to and from streams to fetch water instead of doing their homework.
Protests and pickets demanding clean water service delivery around Phola, Nsikazi, and surrounding areas have become a norm. The locals recently blockaded the entrance to this village with debris and burning tyres to demand clean drinking water.
“The strike comes after almost four weeks of having no clean water from the municipality’s water delivery trucks. The situation was so dire that we had to walk long distances to fetch water from unprotected natural streams. We had no choice but to share the water with our animals,” explained Tina Sambo, a mother of four.
READ: Residents strike over water
She said only those who could afford it, bought clean water from a local delivery truck for R250 per JoJo tank. “Some of us depend on only the child grants and the small businesses we run in our yards. When we have some money, we buy water from those who own boreholes at R2 per 20-litre container,” she said.
Sambo added that whenever she had water, she used it very sparingly, in such a way that she forced her children to use only two liters per child for bathing. Her sentiments were echoed by Marble Maseko, who had said in previous years they usually gotten clean water from their taps each morning around 05:00.
“What angers the community more is that each time we have community meetings, no one explains what the real problem is. We just hope that after this strike the councillor will engage the municipality and deliver clean water in time.”
READ : Matsulu entrance blocked by protest action
Malenia Mokoena, a learner from a local school, said “Even on weekends when we receive small amounts of water from our stands’ pipes, we would spend most of our time doing laundry that had piled up during the days of being without water.
“Our plea is for government to prioritise the education of learners from rural schools by providing us with services like water, so that we can have time to study,” she said.
READ : Police condemn violent protest in Masoyi
Locals told Lowvelder Express that being without water was also affecting their day-to-day businesses, including car washes and bricklayers. “Without water, we cannot do much to help our families. The situation badly affects our way of life, as most of us are unemployed and live by running our small businesses,” said Enoch Shongwe, a local bricklayer.
