While the nations grapples with the rise in Coronavirus infections, Ward 39 councillor Zillah Maguire expressed greater concern about the poor state of water supply in some parts of Mogale City.
Maguire accused the Mogale City Local Municipality of risking the lives of vulnerable communities that have allegedly been supplied with tanks of contaminated water.
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“The municipality is unable to supply informal settlements with clean, safe, potable water, even with a contractor that has been appointed to deliver it to them,” she said.
She pointed out that residents of Portion 26 Kromdraai are the ones most severely affected by the polluted water.
“The water is not fit for human consumption, and the quantities being delivered to the residents are not nearly enough for drinking, cooking, bathing and hand-washing,” she said.
“The municipality is infringing on a basic human right to clean water, as well as obstructing the clinic at Portion 26 Kromdraai from treating the vulnerable and sick safely,” she lamented.
She mentioned that the clinic on the premises also receives water from the tankers and stores the water for all their uses in containers to use as needed.
“It is unacceptable for a clinic to have to collect water in containers. No running water in a health facility puts the staff and all the residents at risk of infection,” she said.
Attesting to this looming disaster, Maguire said a child from the settlement was hospitalised on 8 March due to a stomach infection allegedly contracted from polluted water.
“The child has since been discharged, but nothing has been done by the municipality to rectify the water crisis.
“After numerous calls to the manager of the Department of Water and Sanitation, which have fallen on deaf ears, the West Rand District Health inspectors have been notified and requested to assist in testing the water directly from the tankers,” she explained.
She added that Ward 39 is not the only ward with this problem. Ward 33 Renosterspruit, and Ward 23 Muldersdrift allegedly have been experiencing the same issues, despite these having been reported and raised in Council on numerous occasions.
“Requests to check the tanker trucks have been ignored and no feedback has been given by the managers. Mogale City seems to be waiting for someone to be in a critical condition or die before anything is done. It is time that managers within the municipality are being held accountable for their actions, or lack thereof. There is no need for communities to suffer and bear the brunt of mismanagement,” she criticised.
Mogale City Local Municipality has been contacted for comment.
This is a developing story.
