Residents’ water woes are still far from over
All their efforts to have their pleas heard about the ongoing water crisis, have proven to be in vain and now residents say they have lost trust and hope in the government.
MBOMBELA – All their efforts to have their pleas heard about the ongoing water crisis, have proven to be in vain and now residents say they have lost trust and hope in the government.
“We have tried almost everything – burned tyres, barricaded roads and discussions – but until today, we have to buy water,” said one of the residents.
These people from Mganduzweni, many unemployed, say that whenever they can’t afford to buy, their alternative source is a well which they usually share with cattle.
They acknowledged that once in a while a mobile water tank came to supply them with water but in most cases it was not enough for all of them.
In fact, this village is not the only place which has people desperate to gain access to clean water, a basic need which according to the frustrated residents, is only relished by the chosen people.
Steenbok residents are also feeling the pinch of the water-supply backlog in the province. The area has been left with little and sometimes no water at all, for a while now. Residents say they are fed up with the situation.
According to them, the intervals sometimes take up to two weeks to rotate. “It’s a matter of capitalising on that once in a long time, to make sure you fill up, because one just never knows how long the intervals are. They sometimes take up to two weeks, or even more,” she added.
The municipality has admitted knowledge of the water complications in the area, and claims that most of them are caused by the community itself.
“The bulk pipe supplying water to the main tank has been tampered with. The pipe is full of holes, hence the residents can’t get water the way they should. Seven families have been identified as responsible for this, and we are taking legal action against them, a case will be opened.
We will not let this slide, because innocent people are feeling the strain for the actions of a few individuals,” said Mr Cyril Ripinga, spokesperson for Nkomazi Local Municipality.
According to Ripinga, the installation of two reservoirs in the area will help to improve the water situation.
“Two reservoirs are currently being built, and the whole process will be finished by September. Steenbok will have steady and continuous water supply from then.
For now, we will stick to the zoning method, and we ask for them to be patient with us,” he concluded.
However, there are water interventions in line with the National Development Plan (NDP) which seeks to provide water to all residents by 2030.
These interventions saw the commissioning of the water projects which are in line with the provincial government’s commitment to reduce the shortage of water in Mpumalanga.
According to the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, the delivery of water to various communities in the province is at an advanced stage with nine steel-water projects commissioned in three local municipalities which are Nkomazi, Mbombela and Bushbuckridge.
In Phola Village, 10 kilometres from the waterless Mganduzweni, the department installed two reservoirs.
