Residents have taken to social media platforms and WhatsApp groups to voice their anger and frustration towards Govan Mbeki Municipality and Rand Water due to the continuous water interruptions in the area.
When speaking to businesses and residents in Evander, concerns were raised that they are being deprived of basic paid for services.
Residents said there are continuous water interruptions with some areas not having water for days on end.
At the time of this article going to press, residents have not had water for a week and according to them, a pattern of water interruptions have been going on for more than a month.
One resident who wished not to be named, said the reservoir in Evander overflows due to no level of control.
“If the reservoir does not overflow, then it is empty, there is no control. The control is done manually,” according to the resident.
“Who is paying for the water when it overflows? If it runs empty, it takes forever for the pumps to start up and fill up the reservoirs again. We can be left without water for days!”
Another concern by residents is there is no proper security at the water towers. The water towers are easy to access and are open to any means and ways of vandalism.
“Anybody can access these reservoirs, the property is not secure. Some reservoirs are not even working. You can see pumps and cables that have been stolen.
“We are told there are no parts and no money to fix the reservoirs that are no longer working,” said the resident.
The worst is that residents are without water in a time of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Not everyone has the money to keep buying water or JoJo tanks. We pay for services that are not being rendered. Someone needs to take ownership and expose the corruption!” said a disgruntled resident.
Responding to the Ridge Times, Donald Green, Acting Manager of Communication for GMM, said: “There was a power supply failure that occurred at the Rand Water substation.
“Some of the reservoirs got affected such as Evander and Kinross. However, water is pumping into those affected reservoirs,” said Green.
He went on to say that cable theft and vandalism at the Evander reservoir have resulted in a water shortage which as a result affects areas experiencing low water pressure to no water.
“All the above factors contributed to the water shortage,” said Green.
In a media statement released by DA Cllr James Masango, he said that the DA is concerned that residents of Evander and Kinross are once again experiencing daily low water pressure and
sometimes no water at all.
“The DA will now write a letter to the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) to investigate the continuously empty reservoirs.
“On November 24 2020, we wrote a letter of complaint to the SAHRC to investigate the failure by the municipality to provide clean and adequate water as required by section 27(1)(b) of the
Constitution and by the Indigent Policy. The situation did improve, but it has now deteriorated badly.
“What is of concern is that every time the DA enquires about this, we are told the reservoir is empty. However, no particular reason is given as to why the reservoir is empty.
“A peculiar answer this week from an employee of the municipality is that the problem is the service provider,” said Cllr Masango.
He said if the municipality is employing a service provider to monitor the water level, then the DA is prepared to do this for free in order to report the truth to the residents.
This will also save money for the municipality.
The DA will take the following steps:
To call upon the Executive Mayor, Nhlakanipho Zuma, to ensure that residents of Evander and Kinross receive clean water daily as per the Constitution and his oath of office,
Write a letter of complaint to the HRC to investigate the reservoirs that are continuously getting empty,
To ask the following questions to the Executive Mayor on behalf of the residents.
• How many reservoirs in GMM have automatic valves to control water levels in the reservoirs?
• How many valves are controlled manually and why?
• Whether a service provider is contracted to monitor and control water levels in the reservoirs, why, and who is the service provider?
• How much is the service provider paid to monitor the reservoir’s water level?
• What is the future plan to eliminate this challenge?
“The DA will continue holding the governing party accountable to the residents of GMM,” concluded Cllr Masango.
