Africa-Press – South-Africa. A Free State municipality has called for calm, as residents of Tumahole and Kroonstad took to the streets over water issues.
In Tumahole, the Ngwathe municipal building was torched, allegedly by disgruntled residents demanding water.
The building was used by local councillors and for payment of services.
According to some residents, the building was set alight on Monday night and later on Tuesday morning.
Some local businesses in Tumahole and Parys remain closed for fear of looting.
Residents have zigzagged the township and town looking for water.
They were pushing wheelbarrows, trolleys, and buckets on their heads. A few were seen collecting water from leaking pipes and a well near a stream.
“We drink filthy water. Our water is making us ill. We are sick because our municipality failed to provide clean water,” shouted Mathapelo Masika.
Masika and her two minor children pulled a trolley carrying empty buckets and containers looking for water.
“This is what we are subjected to. We have been struggling for water for the past decade. We used to have water only around midnight for a few minutes. We wake up early, searching for water. Our water is regularly filthy and stinking. It is brown.
“Our homes are stinking because of the stench coming from our toilets. We are exposed to infections. Algae is coming from our taps. Our water smell like fish or bleach. Ngwathe has failed us. It has failed us for many years,” Masika said.
She added residents took to the streets after being ignored by the municipality.
Kefentse Moleko and her siblings were among those who did not join the protests.
They also combed the township looking for water.
“We are struggling in Parys. They gave us JoJo tanks hoping it would assist us, but it didn’t. Those JoJo tanks were torched on Monday. They were often standing empty.
“We have even forgotten that we have taps in our homes. Our taps are dry. I can’t remember the last time I saw water coming from our tap. We save water we bathe and wash with to flush our toilet.
“We even walk around town looking for water. Churches and some NGOs in towns have come to our rescue for years now. I am fully behind these protests. We want water.
On Monday, some locals torched the parental home Ngwathe Mayor Victoria de Beer-Mthombeni in Schonkenville.
Her mother, Dorah de Beer, watched as her home was ablaze.
She is currently residing with the mayor in Parys.
In Kroonstad, hundreds of frustrated residents marched to the Moqhaka Local Municipality’s offices to demand uninterrupted water supply.
GroundUp reported residents of Phomolong township had been battling water issues for more than 20 years, sometimes going without access to water for weeks.
Free State Premier Sisi Ntombela called for calm, acknowledging residents were protesting over the provision of quality water, and many other service delivery challenges.
“We are aware about the unrest currently taking place in Moqhaka and Ngwathe local municipalities. Sadly, these protests have taken a violent turn and resulted in property, including the home of Executive Mayor De Beer, being set alight,” she said.
“Our people enjoy and are protected by certain rights, such as the right to peacefully protest. However, these rights should not be abused and impede on the rights of others. Much as we appreciate and understand their frustration, nothing can ever justify incinerating somebody else’s property.”
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