Patience and taps run dry for Adams residents
Irate residents took to the street to protest by chanting their grievances, burning rubble and closing off Sheleni Road on Monday, 26 April.
Lack of access to safe, sufficient water and sanitation is not only a human rights violation, but also has devastating effects on health and basic lifestyle. Be that as it may, the community of Adams Mission (near the clinic) has been left to survive without a consistent water supply for over two years. Going days without clean drinking water, at risk of contracting contaminated water diseases, contemplating whether to bath or do laundry – this is the reality for the families of this community. Irate residents took to the street to protest by chanting their grievances, burning rubble and closing off Sheleni Road on Monday, 26 April.
“We haven’t had water for the past three years. When we are lucky, now and then a bit comes out of our taps, but even then it’s practically droplets. Ever since the outbreak of Covid-19, we haven’t had water to follow the set-out hygiene protocols to avoid the spread of the virus. This is unacceptable. What makes matters worse is that no one has ever formally addressed us on this issue nor informed us as to why our area has been the most affected in the whole of Adams Mission. Our councillor has never communicated anything substantial to us and we have made efforts to speak to her about our grievances, but it doesn’t amount to any change. We are at our wits end begging for water, hence the protest,” said a community member, who wished to remain anonymous.
Another member detailed the difficulty of organising a funeral and giving her loved one a dignified burial when they had gone for days with no water. The group alleged that on the rare occasion that a municipal water truck is in the area, the drivers are arrogant towards them and often demand them to pay R200 to get water.
“These trucks come from the Isipingo and Springfield depots. They refuse to give us the water for free, yet our water supply which we pay for has been unrightfully cut off. We have even resorted to raising these monies as a community, just so that we can get this water. This is the life we have been subjected to just so that we can survive. We are tired and thirsty,” said an elderly pensioner in the group.
They further claimed that their councillor had Jojo tanks installed in certain houses in the area.
After a morning of unrest, ward 67 councillor, Makhosi Abegail Mbhele, eventually arrived at the scene to address the disgruntled crowd. She blamed Covid-19 for the difficulty in escalating service delivery issues as well as her lack of public interaction. She said that plans to address the problem were in the pipeline.
“On the matter of Jojo tanks, tanks had started to be installed at certain parts however it became apparent that there weren’t enough for all the homes in the area. This is not the only area I serve nor is it the only area without water. On the point of water trucks, my ward was assigned three trucks. Therefore, I was under the impression that the community was receiving water on a daily basis. However, I have since been made aware that the community has only identified one truck in the area and that at times drivers drive past community members without giving them water. I do receive these reports and complaints. It is hard for me to keep track of this, but I am speaking to someone from the water department about it,” said Mbhele.
