Protesters back on the streets after two months

TONGA – On Monday August 25, residents of the local RDP as well as those of Mzinti barricaded the D797, demanding that the premier, Mr David Mabuza, come and address them.

This was the second protest staged by Mzinti residents, where they barricaded the road demanding water and electricity services. However, according to them, despite a positive response from the municipality during the previous protest, after two months they still don’t the necessary resources.

“There is no water, there is no electricity. We have reported this to so many places, the traditional council’s office, the municipality, and even Eskom. We asked them to at least give us one of the two. They delay and call community meetings, which we attend but they never pitch. And they never give reasons for not showing up,” said one of the residents.

According to them they were still forced to buy water from municipal water tankers, if they wanted potable water. “Because most of us can not afford to buy it, we are forced to get our water from the river. Needless to say that that which we get from the river is definitely not safe for human consumption, but what choice do you have when you can’t afford to buy it?”

The Hazyview Riot Police division was deployed to the area to maintain order.

Attempts by them to reason with protesters were unsuccessful, as they failed to reach an agreement.

Even when police threatened to use rubber bullets to disperse the protesters, they stood their ground.

Two people were reportedly injured during the shootout where protesters threw stones at police, but no arrests were made.

Speaking to Corridor Gazette, the MEC for cooperative governance and traditional affairs, Ms Refilwe Mtshweni, said they were equally concerned about the situation in Mzinti, but were hopeful that it had reached its final stage. “What we found during our visit to the areas, was that the infrastructure was there. The problem is that the existing infrastructure is unable to mete out everywhere where people are supposed to get water. A contractor is already on site to install pipes which will transport water from the river and into the reservoir,” she said.

Mtshweni expressed delight with the progress made on the project, and announced that by next week testing of water pipes should begin.

“Currently the project stands at about 85 per cent to completion, which means as from next week they will be testing the first pipe. By the end of September, this the project will be complete.”

Meanwhile, the DA’s spokesman for cooperative governance and traditional affairs, Mr Bosman Grobler, said in a press release that as the water crisis escalated, more service-delivery protests were almost a certainty.

He said, “According to reports, residents are becoming increasingly impatient with the municipality’s failure to provide them with resources. As a result they have now taken their grievances to the streets. While the DA condemns violence in any form, it cannot fault them for their frustrations with a municipality which cannot supply them with the most basic of services, and as the water crisis escalates to all parts of the province more service delivery protests are a certainty.”