Africa-Press – South-Africa. As the water crisis in Makana Municipality in the Eastern Cape worsens, families are resorting to buying water from people with donkey carts, “renting” capacity in other people’s rainwater tanks – and doing without when they can’t afford to pay.
And the municipality will not answer questions, GroundUp reports.
Some Makana communities have suffered water cuts and lack of water for more than a year.
Now others are facing the same problem.
In Hoogenoeg, a water tank donated to the community by Gift of the Givers has been empty for seven weeks.
36 days to go before Nelson Mandela Bay runs out of water
Resident Melikhaya Matwa said residents were now buying water from donkey cart owners who are able to fetch water from far away, at prices of between R20 and R25 a litre.
“Our municipal officials have failed to replace ageing water infrastructure and don’t fix frequent leakages. The water crisis in the municipality disproportionately affects us as poor people, who can’t afford to buy water. There is no daily water supply truck here. How long have we been complaining of the same thing to this Makana Municipality and nobody cares,” said Matwa.
Matwa said:
In some of the city’s informal settlements, water problems are constant. In the Enkanini informal settlement, there has been no water since last year.
In Extension 6 of the Ematyeni informal settlement, some residents said, they paid monthly “rents” of R100 for access to water from other people’s rainwater tanks.
In Extension 9 in Joza, where families have taps in their yards, residents said water went on and off without notice. On Wednesday they said it was the second day that they had been without water.
Nonkululeko Simayi, who has three children, said she didn’t know what to do as she did not even have money to hire donkey carts.
She said:
Municipal Director of Engineering and Infrastructure Services Asanda Madyibi-Gidana refused to comment.
“May I ask you once again to channel your queries through to our central communications office,” she said.
Water and sanitation manager Gubevu Maduna said: “I am not in a position to assist you with anything if not doing it through that office.”
But spokesperson Yoliswa Ramokolo didn’t respond to questions. She has not responded to questions which were sent two months ago either.
For More News And Analysis About South-Africa Follow Africa-Press
