Water crisis flows on
Councillor Lite said that the water crisis had gone from 'bad to worse'
Another round of Ward 10 community meetings to discuss the water crisis was held yesterday (June 24).
Ward 10 councillor Edith Lite held a meeting in Colita on Thursday and two meetings in Forderville on Friday.
At the meeting held at 17:00 at the Forderville Hall, there was no representative from uThukela District Municipality, which was scoffed at by residents.
Cllr Lite went on to explain the intervention taken by her and the ward committee to get to the bottom of the continuous water disruptions.
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These, she said, included meetings with police, visits to uThukela and pumps stations and reservoirs, as well as efforts to get national media attention.
“The bottom line is that sabotage is going on. The person is known to uThukela,” said Cllr Lite.
She divulged that the local station commander had resolved to increase patrols and requested a map, which shows the locations of valves, pipes, fire hydrants, etc.
This map, she said would be provided when the uThukela staff member responsible returned from leave on Monday (June 27).
“The water crisis has gone from bad to worse; no water is being pumped from the reservoir in Richmond Road to Forderville. The reservoirs are empty,” she said.
Cllr Lite mentioned that she had sent emails to the Premier’s office and Minister of Water and Sanitation, which prompted a visit from a delegation from the department.
“I gave them my side of the story, I spoke to uThukela to meet with them and give us feedback. No resolution was taken,” she related.
Residents were then allowed an opportunity to provide solutions to the prolonged water crisis.
With frustration reaching boiling point, residents wanted to know when the water supply would be returned and steady, to which Cllr Lite said she had no answer.
Other suggestions from the audience included:
- Demand a meeting with representatives from the Department of Water Affairs.
- A mass joint meeting with community, all councillors and uThukela District Municipality.
- To prevent further sabotage, a more forceful approach needs to be implemented when employing security at the reservoirs and pump stations.
- Residents were asked to sign the petition that has been sent to the Human Rights Commission – https://chng.it/TGvB8nJK7S
- Cllr Lite urged residents to open a charge against uThukela District Municipality. “Uthukela is depriving you of your human right and billing you, that is corruption at its highest,” she said.
To conclude Cllr Lite resolved to call a mass community meeting on Tuesday (June 28) at the Forderville Hall at 5pm, which would include uThukela District Municipality, local councillors as well as a larger section of the community.
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