UPDATE: Jojo tanks on the cards for Tongaat

After a tense two weeks of Tongaat residents taking their councillors and the municipality to task for the prolonged water cuts, it would seem that the municipality has finally heeded their calls for immediate – albeit temporary – restorative measures.

PR councillor for Ward 62 Yogiswarie Govender reports that the installation of more Jojo tanks across all three of Tongaat’s wards will begin soon.

“As of last week the water supply has stabilised, however this is obviously temporary,” said Govender.

She confirmed that she and ward 58 councillor Geoff Pullan met with city manager Sipho Nzuza and deputy city manager (DCM) for trading service, Philemon Mashoko, on Thursday, to discuss the impending roll-out.

Also read: Tongaat residents make use of beach showers after four days of no water

“The tanks will be placed in strategic areas in consultation with the councillors (of each) ward. The consultative process has begun with councillor Dolly Munien, who has been promised 15 tanks for Ward 61 (which was hardest hit by water outages),” said Govender.

Mashoko was not available for further details on the Jojo tank roll-out plan. Forty more tankers will be hired, to add to the 39 already in the the municipality’s fleet. Despite all of this, residents are still planning a legal mass march to Sizakala Centre on Saturday April 6, from 9am to 10am.

One of the march organisers, Veena Rajyah from the Tongaat Water Crisis team said it will be “a peaceful, non-political, non-racist, nonorganisation based march where (residents) will hand over a memorandum to city officials”.

Meanwhile, DA constituency leader for Tongaat, and member of parliament Tim Brauteseth would like residents to be sensitive to the fact that councillors are under a lot of pressure.

“Residents must be realistic about the actual things that councillors can achieve. Councillors are not plumbers, or technicians or water engineers employed by the municipality. One must also understand that it is one councillor who must be responsible for over 20 000 people in a ward. This failure must be laid at the feet of municipal officials,” said Brauteseth.

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