The Interdenominational Prayer Women’s League recently held a peaceful march, hoping to have their voices heard regarding the state of the roads and ongoing water issues in Bekkersdal.

Rehab Mataboge, secretary of the league, explained that they held the march out of concern for the residents who have been without water for about a month.

“It is terrible for the elderly in the community,” Mataboge said.

She added that they are the only section of Bekkersdal without water, while the other sections still have a supply.

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The march began in Bekkersdal and proceeded to the Rand West City Local Municipality’s offices, where the women handed over two memorandums of grievances – one addressing the water crisis and the other highlighting issues relating to the state of the roads in the area.

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In the water memorandum, they explained their reasons for the march and raised concerns about the impact the situation has on their health, especially the sick and elderly.

“We strongly believe that access to water is a basic human need and a fundamental right for all,” the memorandum read.

They requested the immediate restoration of the water supply and demanded answers as to why they are the only section without water and whether they are the only residents being denied essential services.

In the second memorandum, signed by all committees of the Women’s League, they noted that construction on the sewer system has been ongoing since 2023, yet residents see no progress – only a worsening situation. Concerns included young and elderly people getting injured due to open holes left unfilled, and vehicles becoming stuck or damaged after falling into them.

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“We ourselves were victims of this. Recently, two of our vehicles got stuck when we were travelling from Zenzele to Bekkersdal for our prayer sessions,” the memorandum stated.

They further highlighted that they cannot carry out tombstone unveilings or visit loved ones at grave sites because of the poor state of the roads.

The memorandum concluded that the women had had enough.

“We have just one request: When construction closes for the December holidays, make sure all open holes are closed properly and all affected roads are barricaded properly, but not with substandard tar, as we will continue facing this problem.”

After the march, the Women’s League met with the area councillor and other municipal stakeholders. The Randfontein Herald was informed that the meeting was a closed gathering.

The RWCLM was approached for comment; however, none was received by the time of publishing. An update will be provided once the comment becomes available.