Opinion: Ugu treats water as a commodity instead of a necessity
We urgently need an intervention, the people responsible need to be brought to task. This cannot be allowed to go on.
We run an upmarket B&B in Ramsgate and have enjoyed many years of wonderful feedback from our patrons.
However, in the last year this has changed drastically.
Our once bustling establishment has had to turn down bookings for fear of not being able to provide for them a basic need, water.
In an attempt to curb this, we installed jojo tanks, at our own cost, to ensure that some water was available on the premises for toilets, washing of dishes, etc.
This did nothing, as water to the premises was limited and usually not enough to even fill up the tanks.
The Ugu Municipality, despite being inundated with telephone calls and emails have not provided answers to the community at large.
We urgently need an intervention, the people responsible need to be brought to task. This cannot be allowed to go on.
We pay our bills timeously; we only ask that the services we are paying for are rendered in a manner that is acceptable for all to function optimally.
Thousands go without showering or knowing where their next sip of drinking water is coming from.
Schools in the area are suffering, Water is a basic human right and the municipality is treating it like a commodity instead of a necessity.
We cannot let Ugu continue in the downward spiral it is headed and take along with it businesses that have worked years to build a name for themselves.
This is people’s bread and butter, and the municipality is refusing to see how their lack of service delivery is contributing to loss of income for business.
If the pandemic has taught us anything, it is to value our jobs. The water issues continue but our bills don’t decrease, the employees for the municipality continue to get their salaries and bonuses yet the average home due to job losses, reduced work time, salary cuts and God knows what else continue to battle to put food on their tables and make sure their bills are paid.
The people need a resolve, the municipality needs to heed the call.
The Spirit of Ubuntu is fast becoming a thing of the past. The Ugu District and its people are crying out for help and there is no one to help.
ANESHA MAHARAJ
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