Umzinto water crisis: Protesters take action
Mthiyane visited Umzinto during the course of the morning and received the memorandum.
As a cry for help and due to countless water cuts occurring in the past several weeks, the Umzinto community decided to unite and hold a peaceful protest on Monday this week, in hopes of having their water restored and running efficiently.
From as early as 03:00, the community began blocking numerous roads in the area as well as the entrances and exits to Umzinto.
The protest action was organised by a committee made up of residents from several parts of the town including Mistake Farm, Farm Isonti, Gandhinagar, Roseville, Sanathan and Hazelwood to name but a few.
Prior to the protest, the coordinators got together to discuss issues that they felt were important for Ugu to take note of, and listed these points in a memorandum with solutions and suggestions for the municipality to consider and implement.
“As a community, we have had enough,” said Umzinto resident and activist Ash Moodley.
“During the protest, the Ugu mayor, Phumlile Mthiyane, came out to address us and she also empathised with us.”
Mthiyane visited Umzinto during the course of the morning and received the memorandum.
She assured the community that she would not turn the water off until she responds to the memorandum in due time, but unfortunately yesterday morning residents noticed their water was cut off again.
“This could be because of the water schedule, but we will be in contact with her to find out what exactly is the cause of the water still being cut off, even after her promise to us,” added Moodley.
Shortly after the mayor addressed everyone, residents from Riverside Park began walking up to that area.
While walking up, it is believed that individuals from outside the area opened fire on them.
“They used rubber bullets and live ammunition, and we found bullet shells on the scene.”
According to Moodley, three people were injured at the scene, including a man, woman and a child who was hurt by a rubber bullet.
When community members tried to approach the shooters, they were allegedly threatened as well.
“They were cocking their firearms in the back of a bakkie and pointed a gun at everyone, including myself,” added Moodley.
“This was meant to be a peaceful demonstration to get our water back, but video footage captured of these shooters speak for itself and show the violent nature and how trigger happy these individuals were to use vigilantism to attack those who had no weapons on them.”
“We are not going to rest until we get justice for the man who was shot and for the other individuals as no one has a right to discharge a firearm in public where there are women and children, regardless of the situation.”
“None of the police officers used any excessive force as we were able to calm crowds in our areas and knew exactly what needed to be done.”
An official police report is awaited on the shooting, while Umzinto community members anxiously await feedback from Mthiyane.
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