Nongoma ‘sabotage’ condemned

ZULULAND District Municipality (ZDM) Mayor, Cllr Mpiyakhe Hlatshwayo, suspects an on-going sabotage campaign against the municipality following the theft of five water engine pumps in the Nongoma area alone since the beginning of the year.

Hlatshwayo said this following the theft of two more water engine pumps at Bhethani and eSiphambanweni areas last week.

The pumps, costing more than R100 000 each, are used to circulate water from boreholes and dams to reservoirs before it is distributed within the local communities.

According to Cllr Lucky Dumakude, who represents Nongoma at ZDM, the theft of the pumps has dire effects in the Nongoma area that already experiences serious water shortages.

Cllr Dumakude said other areas where pumps have been stolen include Ntshodo, Kolubomvu (KwaDabhazi) and Dongothule.

The theft had left thousands of residents from the rural area without water for several weeks while the municipality purchases new pumps.

Nongoma hardest hit

Cllr Hlatshwayo said, ‘While we have experienced theft of pumps occasionally in other areas under ZDM local municipalities, KwaNongoma has been hit the worst, which makes us suspect that there is a campaign to sabotage our water supply programme within the Nongoma area.

‘We don’t know who is behind this or why they have embarked on such an evil campaign.

‘We call on the community to be alert and to protect the pumps in their areas because they are the ones who are denied water after the theft.’

ZDM Municipal Manager, Johan de Klerk, confirmed court cases had been opened by the municipality in connection with all the thefts, but no suspects have been arrested nor were any of the pumps recovered.

‘As ZDM we will not hesitate to act against theft of municipal property and we call on the public to help us with any information that can lead to the arrest of suspects or recovery of stolen water engine pumps,’ De Klerk said.

The Nongoma area is one of many seriously affected by the on-going drought.