DEAR Editor,-
I write on behalf of the South Coast Ratepayers’ and Residents’ Associations to express our distress concerning the fact that so many areas in our district have been without water, or subjected to intermittent supplies, once again – and for such a long time.
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We are appalled by, and denounce in the strongest possible terms, the actions of the people striking illegally and vandalising our water purification and reticulation infrastructure.
By their actions they are not only denying people their constitutional and life-sustaining right to potable water, but also causing inestimable damage to our reputation as a destination of choice for visitors and tourists.
Our economy, and therefore the jobs of the people who live and work here, are seriously compromised by their selfish and destructive actions.
Whilst it seems that an agreement between parties has been reached, we demand that the municipality still takes stringent action against perpetrators retrospectively, so that they face the full might of the law for their unlawful actions.
In addition, in the interests of transparency, we demand that full details of the agreement be made public, as it is untenable that payments be made to settle the dispute with the staff, when the dispute has been declared unlawful.
We call upon communities within which these workers live to identify the culprits and to do everything legal within their power to persuade them to change their ways.
And we call upon faith-based organisations to denounce these actions from their pulpits, using as their text Matthew 22:39 (the second Commandment – Love your neighbour as you love yourself).
We note with horror and disgust that Ugu municipal manager DD Naidoo and his family have been threatened with violence.
We reaffirm our support for Mr Naidoo and all the efforts he is making to restore order.
Our Water Action Team has recruited volunteers from our communities to help wherever they are required and urge Ugu to make use of their services.
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We applaud the actions of the various ratepayers’ associations in delivering tanked water to their communities.
We note that Ugu District has been declared a ‘disaster area’, but question why the police were not drafted to deal with lawbreakers during the course of the strike action.
We further note that a court interdict had been issued requiring workers to report back to work and that this had been totally disregarded.
We demand that the necessary legal actions be taken retrospectively against these recalcitrant workers. It is totally unacceptable that an entire district is held to ransom by these people.
For a number of years now, Ugu Municipality has struggled to remain financially viable and to deliver water purification and reticulation services it is mandated to do.
We demand that these functions be taken over by the Umgeni Water Authority.
OLLIVER RANSOME
Chairman
KZN South Coast Ratepayers’ and Residents’ Association
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