Residents of Mokwallo, Vredefort, are no longer satisfied with dry taps, empty JoJo tanks and promises from municipal management. They demand clean, drinking water.
This was clearly stated in a memorandum handed to the Ngwathe Municipality, today, Friday 21 October, when a group of about 100 concerned residents from Mokwallo gathered for a protest march to the municipal offices in Vredefort.
In the absence of the Ngwathe Executive Mayor, Cllr Victoria de Beer, the memorandum was handed to Mr Kau Khumalo, a member of the Mayoral Committee, with members of Public Order Policing from Fezile Dabi, keeping a watchful eye.
The memorandum read and handed to a representative of the Ngwathe Executive Mayor’s office.
In their memorandum the group says they have noted a lack of political will and accountability to provide the community with clean and safe drinking water. They complain about arrogance of senior officials with regard to service delivery, and say that the municipality is failing to prioritise basic needs of the community such as water and electricity.
They are also unhappy about the unreliable delivering schedule of trucks delivering water to the community JoJo tanks, and say that the municipality does not monitor or evaluate the delivering of water, ensuring that the JoJo tanks are tested and inspected for the community’s health and safety.
Another point of concern is water pressure not being sufficient enough to reach upper areas to provide clean, drinking water to all.
The group says the municipality is violating the community’s Human Rights in failing to provide water which is treated and tested properly for human consumption.
They demand a comprehensive indepdent forensic audit investigaton of the tender approved for work done at the Water Purification Plant, and want to know how the 2021/22 budget has been spent thus far.
They say they demand the resignation of the Mayor, Vredefort’s Area Manager and the Municipal Manager, if municipal officials fail to respond to their demands, adding that they would seek assistance to solve their ongoing water issues from the Public Protector, Human Rights Commission and Corporate Governance and Public Administration (COGTA).
