With some residents are fed up, many are just desperate for water after eight days of dry taps in the Govan Mbeki Municipality (GMM).

The water supply dried up more than a week ago due to Eskom and Rand Water’s planned maintenance that majorly impacted the Mapleton system which supplies GMM with water.

Residents challenge GMM

Rumours of closed water valves and disinformation from GMM began to surface and circulate, prompting locals to go on fact-finding mission on Friday. They claim to have found closed water valve on Helen Joseph Street near Rawson Estate Agents, towards the Albany area. Images of this closed valve were shared on WhatsApp groups.

These residents believe this “discovery” forced the municipality to open the valve during the night. The individuals returned to the valve this morning (Saturday) to find it had been opened. They now believe this is why reports began trickling in of water returning.

Disgruntled residents also gathered at the intersection of Helen Joseph and Nelson Mandela Drive at 10:30 to voice their anger over the continuous water outage. By 13:00 the neighbourhood around Laerskool Kruinpark was still high and dry.

WATCH: https://youtu.be/g8NzkEmXlSw

Govan Mbeki Municipality denies valve tampering

The municipality’s media liaison and content development officer, Donald Green, responded today (July 25) that Govan Mbeki Municipality can confirm its water distribution system is fully functional and that there are no valves that have been tampered with.

The municipality strongly rejects and condemns the false claims circulating on social media alleging that municipal officials have tampered with water valves. These allegations are completely unfounded and are intended to create unnecessary panic, fear and confusion among members of the community,” said Green.

“The municipality wishes to reassure residents that the water supply system continues to improve as Rand Water gradually increases supply and municipal reservoirs recover.”

Green said water has now been restored in some towns and townships, but some high-lying areas are still experiencing low water pressure or intermittent water supply due to the ongoing reservoir recovery process.

“Residents are urged to rely only on official municipal communication platforms for accurate and verified information and to refrain from sharing unverified reports that may mislead the public.

“The municipality will continue to monitor the situation and provide regular updates on the restoration of water supply,” concluded Green.

Bethal hit hard

Desperate residents are currently flocking to AfriForum’s emergency water point in Bethal, reported Hennie Bekker, AfriForum’s District Coordinator for the Highveld.

Since Wednesday, AfriForum, in collaboration with local farmers, has made more than 200 000 litres of water available to residents at its emergency water point in the town. The civil rights organisation maintains that the municipality’s contingency planning for this scheduled maintenance has been a dismal failure and warns that the fact that all towns in the municipality remain without water is leading toward a humanitarian disaster that could have been prevented.

According to Bekker, the municipality failed to make adequate preparations to mitigate the impact on its residents.

During a media conference on 15 July, Nhlakanipho Zuma, Mayor of the Govan Mbeki Municipality, stated that the municipality had been warned several months in advance that maintenance would commence on July 17, resulting in water outages lasting a maximum of 72 hours. He further stated that the full restoration of the water supply in some parts of the municipality could take up to 14 days.

“Despite this advance notice, the municipality still failed to make adequate preparations to avert this disaster,” explained Bekker.

“Moreover, notifying residents just over two days in advance of this total suspension of the water supply – which could last up to two weeks in some areas – is unacceptable.”

The bigger picture

Bekker further emphasised that the inadequate water supply to the municipality has been an ongoing issue for months and is now forming a pattern. Residents of towns within the municipality – including Bethal, Secunda, Evander, Trichardt, and Kinross, among others – are repeatedly left without sufficient water for weeks whenever maintenance or repairs are required.

“Residents demand answers, but amidst a failing municipality that offers no clear explanations, they are left to fend for themselves. The municipality consistently refers water supply inquiries to Rand Water, while the latter refers residents back to the municipality. Confidence in the municipality’s ability to look after the interests of its residents reached an all-time low long ago,” explained Bekker.

Meanwhile, it appears that the water supply – particularly to Bethal – will not be restored anytime soon.

“According to a media statement published by the municipality on social media yesterday, all four reservoirs in Region 1 (which supplies water to Bethal and eMzinoni) remain completely empty. In Region 2 (Trichardt, Secunda, Evander, Kinross, Leandra, and Eendraght), the Kinross reservoir is at 90% capacity, yet water cannot be pumped from it due to electrical maintenance work. Other reservoirs in this region are at between 0% and 30% capacity, while two of the three reservoirs in Region 3 (eMbalenhle and Charl Cilliers) are at 0% capacity, and the third is barely 30% full.”

AfriForum legal action continues

AfriForum has already initiated legal action against Rand Water after the water utility decreased the municipality’s water supply in 2019 due to non-payment.

“Legal action is essential, but it does not bring the immediate relief that residents so desperately need,” explained Bekker.

“The ongoing water supply problems are now rightly leading residents to ask whether the repeated maintenance is merely being used as an excuse for their dry taps.”

A total collapse of the water network in this municipality is now a reality. It happens almost every month. There is simply no longer the capacity to store water, as supply deteriorates month after month while consumption continues to rise. Residents and businesses are forced to devise their own solutions, while state bodies squabble, shift blame, and delay court proceedings,” said Bekker.

Get involved

Bekker said AfriForum coordinates water deliveries in Bethal, while local farmers offload the water free of charge at emergency water points, schools, care homes, and other institutions providing essential services.

AfriForum calls on farmers from other towns within the Govan Mbeki Municipality to get involved as well, in order to extend emergency relief to other parts of the area. Contact Bekker (084 905 6415) for more information.