Tempers boil over at water crisis meeting

Frustration on a knife-edge, expletives shouted and several walk-outs – which included the district’s acting municipal manager – marked the community meeting held on Monday evening.

Addressing residents (mainly from Ward 10 and 18) for the second time, uThukela Acting Municipal Manager Mr Mnguni returned to provide feedback about the prolonged water interruptions that have been tormenting the community for months.

READ MORE HERE: 7 things you should know from the Ward 10 water crisis meeting

The already aggrieved community had to wait an hour before Mr Mnguni arrived at the meeting, saying he was informed that the meeting had been postponed.

‘Fake overtime’

Ward 18 councillor Mr Mchunu used the opportunity to apologise to the residents for the water disruptions.

“I know we are angry and it’s been too long without water. I receive many calls every day. Even where I come from, we haven’t had water for three months,” he said.

Cllr Mchunu went on to explain that a meeting with officials from the local and district municipalities was held earlier in the day on Monday, saying that one of the reasons for the erratic water supply was a limited amount of water being pumped from the river to the reservoir.

Sabotage, he said, was also to blame after the district management uncovered ‘fake overtime’ claims.

When Mr Mnguni arrived, he also gave feedback from the delegation’s visit to the local reservoirs and water plant earlier in the day.

He explained that a team, ranging from the Supply Chain manager to Human Resources, was present to be part of finding a solution.

Mr Mnguni appealed to residents to also be vigilant and report any acts of sabotage.

“We concluded that we should re-channel water where possible. Remember that we are operating with meagre financial resources and we will need to reprioritise our budget,” he said.

The acting municipal manager also stated that a commitment had been made that all outstanding material needed for repairs would be ordered and delivered on-site during this week.

Infrastructure upgrades

He admitted that when it came to infrastructure upgrades, uThukela had taken a ‘reactive’ instead of ‘proactive’ approach, and had realised the need to upgrade the Forderville system.

Wanting answers about the way forward, residents started shouting out questions and comments, prompting Mr Mnguni to walk out of the hall.

He returned a few minutes later after councillors assured him that the residents would be willing to listen to his feedback.

Although visibly upset, Mr Mnguni went on to explain that the service provider had been tasked with identifying the problems, which would then be presented to uThukela management at a meeting on Monday (July 11).

Thanks to Gift of the Givers, the borehole to service the Rensburg community has been completed and awaits stands and tanks, which will be supplied by the district municipality. This he said would be complete by next Friday and ‘hopefully’ this will be the primary source of water for these residents from the end of this month.

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When the floor was open for questions, residents raised the following matters:

1. Water accounts being received for months when no water supply was available.
2. A medium- or long-term solution for water supply to Rensburg, because a borehole is not a long-term solution.
3. Residents also demanded to know when water supply will be back, with one saying “we don’t want to know about infrastructure. When you take up a job, do the maintenance; don’t leave it until now when we have problems.”
4. A community member questioned Mr Mnguni about why the CBD, with its large and profitable industries, always has water while taps run dry in residential areas. “What I need to know is: When am I getting water? We have not had a drop of water for three months and we are living from a bucket,” commented the resident.
5. Residents urged the acting municipal manager to act on the claims of sabotage. “If you know that it’s your employees, then arrest them and employ others,’ said one resident. With regards to ageing infrastructure, “we won’t buy into it anymore”, remarked another resident. “Don’t leave here, go to bed and ignore what people are saying. You have a mandate and you accepted the position; you are not doing us a favour!” commented the resident.
6. A suggestion was made to Mr Mnguni to bring in the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) to deal with the sabotage of state property, as well as to communicate transparently with the Estcourt community, and include them in meetings.
7. Former Water Crisis Committee member Tim Jeebodh told Mr Mnguni that together with other residents, he was thinking of taking High Court action. “We are in trouble. What is happening is constitutionally wrong,” he said.
8. Other suggestions included a direct line from Wagendrift Dam to provide Forderville and surrounding areas, because this line would not be prone to vandalism and would ‘save the community tears’.
9. With a final forceful statement, one resident told Mr Mnguni that “we want our water back. We have qualified people in Estcourt, so if uThukela can’t carry on, we have guys who are willing to take over the reservoirs.”

Responding to the questions and comments, Mr Mnguni reiterated that some of the problems are ‘historic’, dating back 10 to 15 years, as well as the capacity of the reservoirs.

He admitted that communication should be improved and that law enforcement needs to be involved.

Mr Mnguni, however, could not provide the answer to the burning question of when water supply will be restored.

“We are working on it and doing our best to provide water,” he said.

He committed to returning after two weeks to provide more feedback.

The meeting was called to a close shortly afterwards, with Ward 10 councillor Edith Lite informing the community that another meeting will be held at the Forderville Hall on Thursday (July 7) at 18:00.

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