Taps have been running dry for almost six years in KZN’s eMondlo, say residents
Residents say they have not had water for so long that they are now used to sharing drinking water with animals.
Residents say even with taps running dry, the faucets have been stolen.
The community of eMondlo in Vryheid, KwaZulu-Natal, and surrounding areas believe the municipality is not taking them seriously.
Residents took to social media recently to air their displeasure with acting mayor of AbaQulusi Municipality, Mncedisi Maphisa, following a notice stating there would be water cuts in the area from Tuesday to Thursday last week, due to scheduled maintenance, reports Vryheid Herald.
They said there was no need for Cllr Maphisa to issue the notice because they were used to not having water for days in a row, without any prior notice.
One comment on social media read: “We have not had water [for] so long, why bother now? We are used to drinking water with animals here; they are just telling us rubbish.”
Others commented: “Why was he quiet all along? We now have water from the rain; he must just shut up and leave us alone.”
Nokwazi Zwane, one of the many residents facing a continued water crisis in Block A, eMondlo, said: “It’s almost six years in our area without water. The water pipes which were servicing us were redirected to Mkhumbane and since then, we have never had water.
“The water tankers do not have a specific day or time they come to deliver water. Most of the time, we miss them because we are not aware they are coming and most of the water tanker drivers do not even hoot to alert us; they just drive past. We cannot even leave our buckets unattended because there are criminals who steal anything and everything. So this attempt to alert us that there will be no water was just a spit in our faces. We are being used here and not taken seriously.”
Zwane mentioned that due to taps not working, the majority of the community from Gobinsimbi, Shandu, Shenge and Jobe Streets have had their taps stolen.
“We have amaphara here and they have stolen the taps because they are not working. It’s even difficult to use the toilet because there is no water to flush. No one can live without water, so we do not give a damn about these water tanks he is telling us about. We are so used to not having water; it is nothing new,” she added.
The water notice soon opened a proverbial ‘can of worms’ and led to complaints about the state of the road network and electricity supply.
Updates on the municipality’s response will be included once more information becomes available in next week’s edition of the Vryheid Herald newspaper.
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