Today marks 14 days without water in Bethal.

In the past month, there was a spell of only three days during which residents had water in their taps – the remaining weeks were dry.

The water shortage began at the beginning of December.According to Desiré Kranz, DA councillor, it often worsens over the festive season.

Residents are visiting the mayor’s office today to get answers.

She said they have tabled motions and even contacted the Human Rights Commission to help the fight this battle, but were merely told that note was taken.

Kranz believes the ongoing water outages are because of failure to pay Rand Water. She thinks that the situation will get even worse.

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“We want to keep Govan Mbeki Municipality responsible for looking after the Bethal community better,” said Kranz.

Apart from water interuptions, Bethal residents are also plagued with electricity outages.

“Christmas was bleak for a large number of residents who were left without reliable access to water for basic needs such as cooking, sanitation and personal hygiene,” said Kranz.

“This reality is not only undignified but poses serious health and safety risks, particularly for the elderly, children and vulnerable households.”

Govan Mbeki Municipality allegedly informed residents that the water problems was because of maintenance.

“What is most concerning is the apparent absence of a clear and effective contingency plan to ensure continuity of basic services during outages.

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“Residents were left largely in the dark, with limited communication, inadequate water provision, and no visible coordinated response.

“We therefore urgently call on the Govan Mbeki Municipality to develop and implement a clear, workable contingency plan for water and electricity outages, to ensure regular and transparent communication with residents before, during and after planned maintenance, to provide reliable alternative water supply measures, including consistent water tankering where outages occur and to prioritise service delivery planning during peak periods such as holidays and festive seasons.

“Access to water and electricity is a basic constitutional right, not a privilege. Residents of Ward 28 deserve better planning, better communication and decisive action.

“We will continue to stand with the community and hold the municipality accountable until sustainable solutions are implemented and residents’ dignity is restored.”

According to Kranz, another problem is that despite not having water, Bethal residents still get sky high bills.

Although Govan Mbeki Municipality have tankers supposedly to provide water to residents, they charge residents money before giving water do not keep to their schedules and often fail to stop at the elderly to provide much needed water.