LYDENBURG – It’s been five weeks since various areas in town have been left without running water.
Residents have been left with more questions than answers as Thaba Chweu Municipality (TCM) is yet to give a clear indication of what exactly is causing taps to run dry.
Last week the newspaper reported that the pump station had flooded. Electrical pumps were underwater, not being able to start up to ensure supply. It had now come to light that municipal workers had not been paid overtime and thus the pumps had been left unattended. During the heavy rain, they flooded.
Resident Ms Nadia du Toit told Steelburger/Lydenburg News that she was at her wits’ end regarding the water situation. “We can’t wash ourselves let alone our clothes. The kids’ school uniforms have to be washed and we have to cook supper. This is now becoming ridiculous. Why can’t they give us a proper explanation on what is going on here? Then it’s a valve that broke, then the pumps flood, can’t they manage the basic services such as water flow?”
Mr Petros Crucial Kgagara said the ruling party should give other parties a chance. “I can’t vote and live like this.”
Ms Beau-tee Combrink said they had been affected terribly. “I don’t know why we should vote if the electricity and water goes off every now and then. This is not ayoba.”
Another irate resident, Mr Mike Edwards said, “What crisis? Not only municipality, but the whole South African Government is bordering on a national disaster of epic proportions. People are really becoming gatvol with this and will soon start taking matters into their own hands. It is unbelievable that those in power do not give a damn about those that got them there in the first place. What you sow you shall reap. The day will come that you will be held accountable for your actions or absolute lack thereof.”
Ms Ella Grobler said they had been without water since last Thursday. “The electricity comes and goes. Luckily we have a generator. As for the water, we use our swimming pool. I am fed up with our municipality.”
Water flow was only briefly restored over the weekend. As it slowly but surely returned to the taps, residents were hit by another blow. Although Eskom confirmed that no load shedding would take place over the weekend, power outages were experienced in centre of town. The electricity cuts quickly left taps dry again. On both Saturday and Sunday the power was off in the central suburbs. On Sunday electricity was disrupted at 21:00 and supply was only restored on Monday at 07:00. Certain areas of Lydenburg were left without it for the whole of Sunday and Monday, causing huge frustration among community members and businesses.
While the central suburbs where left stranded with no water and electricity, Mashishing and other extensions were lit up like an overly decorated Christmas tree.
DA Cllr Farhad Essack explained that as a member of the technical portfolio committee he was fully aware that the electrical department had been pleading with TCM authorities for the upgrade and revamp of the main electrical substation at the back of Hoërskool Lydenburg. Poor planning and continuous changes in personnel had resulted in none of this being done in spite of municipal-infrastructure grants being given to the municipality for these basic maintenance upgrades to electrical substations, transformers, water pumps and improvement of sewerage reticulation networks. He stated that it was eminent that TCM’s infrastructure would collapse soon. “Residents witness on a day-to-day basis how the municipality further retrogresses in terms of roads and basic services. Small businesses are losing moneys in a huge way being affected by non-service delivery.” Essack mentioned that it was ironic that businesses and members of the public were robbed of basic services while they were paying for their services and keeping the municipality afloat.
TCM once again did not respond to questions posed by this newspaper and it would seem that residents were deliberately being kept in the dark regarding the water-and-electricity crisis.
