Progress on the town’s issues to be addressed

KOMATIPOORT – Nkomazi municipal manager, Mr Daniel Ngwenya is expected to meet with residents next Thursday to give feedback on the progress in resolving the town’s ongoing water and electricity supply problems.

According to Mr Jan Engelbrecht, convener of Nkomazi East Combined Commerce and Tourism Association (Neccta), local businesses and residents will probably be relieved to learn of the progress made, in as far as Eskom is concerned.

Engelbrecht hopes it will be the same with the water situation, but remarks little has been done to provide ongoing electricity supply to the pump stations, or towards the upgrading of all pumps, pipes and motors.

The meeting will be valuable for residents to consider radical measures, in as far as water provision is concerned.

As Engelbrecht states, “If simple solutions at an affordable price could change the situation immediately, why is it that nothing has been done yet?

“The municipality remains ignorant, or it seems to be the case. How can residents and businesses not be mad when their payment of rates and services is not met with service delivery?

“Could it be expected that these affected parties should remain patient after enduring eight years of total ignorance? Yet payment should and has been made. Each JoJo Tank that is established in town explicates municipal failure and wouldn’t be necessary if the municipality had done its work.

“In business such failure would have been met with harsh measures, however, Komatipoort must conclude that failure here is disregarded, and consumers must pay, irrespective of lack of performance.

“Those affected by water shortages in the evenings when the municipality merely treats the crisis symptomatically, by rooting the town water to the low-cost housing instead of improving the entire system, include the police station, shift workers at the border post, hospitality practices and their guests.

“It could be sure these people too will be part of petitions and marches, if radical measures aren’t implemented,” he said. An unhappy resident who spoke to Corridor Gazette under anonymity said, “On Saturday at approximately 21:15 the electricity in the Suid Dorp went off and was restored approximately an hour later.

“The Nkomazi consumer help desk was contacted and we were told that it would be investigated.

“However, the next day we had no water at all. It isn’t only Suid Dorp but the entire Komatipoort.

“The help desk was called again and we were told that after a few hours water would be restored. At 18:35 we were still waiting.

“As many times before, we believe once the electricity had been restored, no one restarted the pump and the water-storage facility ran dry.

“Mr John O’Reilly has had to phone Marius, a Nkomazi Municipality official and ask him to send someone to restart the pump.

“As it occurred late on a Saturday we suspect that no one on standby thought of turning the water pump on.

“It is time to contact Mr Jaap Kelder, the chairman of the Rate Payers Union National, to lead action, as this type of service delivery is not satisfactory at all. Water supply is a basic right and we pay for it and this just isn’t taken into account with the work ethic.”

The venue of the meeting has not yet been announced.