Community demands water, not promises
It was clear since last week that the Parys, Tumahole and Schonkenville communities are tired of empty promises. They are looking to the Ngwathe Municipality for answers about the ongoing water and power crises paralysing households and businesses.
On Friday, the community pressure group Save Ngwathe, handed a memorandum and petition form to the acting municipal manager, Mr T. Ngese, signed by over 7,000 residents. The memorandum raises questions like, among other things, why a generator has still not been installed at the water treatment plant almost a year after promises that it would be the top priority. At that time, in July 2022, the town was without electricity and water for four days.
The community also wanted to know where the money to fuel the generator would come from once installed, why it took so long to advertise for a contractor to instal the generator, and why Ngwathe was not fulfilling its obligations to Eskom.
Simon Poole of the Kanana group said several peaceful protest marches had already happened, and memorandums had been handed over to the municipality about the water issue, but with no answers or improvement of the horrible conditions people endure without water in their taps. He said the situation caused people to drink water that is not safe because they do not have clean drinking water.
On March 23, a memorandum was also handed over at the municipal offices, giving the municipality 72 hours to respond. It did not happen, he said. He added that the group had asked several questions early in May and still did not get answers.
Kanana, Tupaaco and members of the Save Ngwathe pressure group have met with the municipality weekly since January, after a previous protest action, to discuss the progress in solving the water problems. All three groups agree that, despite the mee-tings, the situation is no closer to a solution.
The acting municipal manager could not answer the groups’ questions, making it clear that he was only acting in the position until the end of June. After that, a municipal manager must be appointed.
He recognised the right to protest and listened to the community but said the municipal management would respond to the memorandum within 14 days.
A group of between 400 and 500 people, mostly school children, then took part in the planned “shutdown” action in Parys on Monday when they moved to the municipal offices in the town to show their dissatisfaction with the ongoing water crisis. . The rain and hail cut Monday’s action short, but many businesses in town suffered enormous losses due to the action, as in January this year when the protest group forced them to close their businesses for the day. Others, fearing for the safety of their employees and property, closed the doors voluntarily. With the municipal offices closed on Monday due to the protest action, the group had to go home without answers from the municipal management.
The protest resulted in electricians from the Ngwathe municipality being unable to respond to reports of various problems on the electricity network.
On Tuesday, the protest continued, and people waited for hours in the cold in front of the municipal offices while talks were held between the municipal management and the MEC of Cogta (Corporate Governance, Traditional Affairs and Human Settlements), who visited the town following the protest action. He listened to the community’s objections and visited the town’s water plant. Several businesses and some schools were closed on Tuesday and Wednesday because of the protest that also cost learners teaching time in January.
