Frustrated Ramsgate residents protested outside the Ugu District Municipality offices in Oslo Beach last Thursday, demanding an uninterrupted water supply in their area and surrounds.
They stood outside the gates with placards demanding that water be restored. Among the protesters was Maria Hern (91) who said previously they had no water in Ramsgate for a full five months and an additional five days recently.
Hern said: “For months our taps were dry, we could not bath properly and as an elderly woman I cannot boil water and jump into a bath tub, I need to use the shower and with no water in our taps it has been impossible.”
She said after the five months of dry taps the water was restored, but for five days last week their taps were dry again, and they have had enough.
“Ugu must come up with a plan, we are tired of these water cuts. Water is our basic human right and they are failing us,” Hern added.
Ugu District Municipality spokesperson, France Zama said: “Water has been restored in Ramsgate and the systems are healthy.”
He said the municipality denounces misinformation peddled by mischievous people alleging that Ugu had failed to provide water for five months.
“While we note the challenges faced by the municipality in terms of its efforts to ensure smooth supply, owing to factors such as Eskom power cuts and burst pipes, it is rather malicious to paint a narrative that residents of Ramsgate had dry taps for such a prolonged period,” Zama added.
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