Bucanana residents demand water

The P700 was a no-go area on Friday as scores of Bucanana residents blocked the road with rocks, demanding water supply.

Several vehicles were stoned during the protest action, leading to members of the SAPS Public Order Policing (Pop) unit being called to quell the violence and clear the road.

Ward 33 residents claimed they had been without water for more than four weeks, with no proper explanation from the authorities.

Residents wanted city Mayor Xolani Ngwezi to explain why there was no water.

They further claimed there is water infrastructure underground and a reservoir in the area, but the city keeps using tankers to provide water.

Ward Councillor Mdlinzeleni Msimango availed himself to attend to the community, as Ngwezi was otherwise engaged at a multi-stakeholder forum.

The aggrieved residents demanded to know from Msimango why the number of water tankers had been reduced.

“We have all the required infrastructure as well as a reservoir in our area, but they are not being used and now they are ageing and rusting,” said one resident.

“We do not want to accept that we do not get water because of the ongoing strike within the city,” he said.

Msimango told the residents the mayor urged them to take photographs of any water tanker selling water to the community, and send them to him.

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