‘Our taps are dry’: Ext 71 community mulls protest over water crisis
Ext 71 taps have been dry for weeks, prompting residents to plan protest action against the Polokwane Municipality.
POLOKWANE – Residents of Ext 71 and surrounding areas in Seshego are considering staging a protest against Polokwane Municipality following nearly three weeks without running water.
The inconsistent supply of water has been a recurring challenge across many parts of Seshego, but locals in Extention 71 say their taps have been completely dry since early August.
In community groups that include ward committee members, some residents argued that the municipality’s lack of accountability has emboldened its continued poor service delivery.
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Their frustrations come in the wake of recent service delivery protests, including those led by the newly formed Concerned Citizens of Polokwane (CCP) two weeks ago and the EFF in Limpopo last week.
Demonstrators raised grievances over high municipal bills, water shortages, and corruption allegations levelled against the municipality and top officials.
The Mayor, John Mpe recently responded in a televised interview, insisting that the municipality was working hard to improve water provision, citing the commissioning of a new advanced water plant in Seshego, however, extention 71 residents argue that improvements have only been visible in Seshego’s zones section, where frequent protests had previously forced municipal intervention.
“It feels like the municipality only responds to those who take to the streets,” one resident noted.
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The community has resolved to continue meeting to finalise plans for their own protest action.
Meanwhile, the municipality, in a statement issued on August 21, warned that several areas, including Seshego and Mankweng, would face intermittent water cuts in September and October.
This, it said, was due to a scheduled shutdown by Lepelle Northern Water on the Olifantspoort line feeding the Ebenezer scheme.
The areas to be affected:
Pump station one: September 10 -11.
Pump station two and three: October 1.
Pump station one (second shutdown): October 17-18.
