Having NO water is causing Matjhabengers to boil under the collar

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The constitutional rights of the citizens of Matjhabeng are consistently being violated after days without water, sporadic power outages over large areas, and severe cases of sewage flooding roads and properties.

Most of Welkom has been without water for more than ten days.

“This amounts to ten days of no bathing, no clean drinking water from our taps, no doing laundry, and battling with cooking meals,” one resident wrote on WhatsApp.

Some primary schools have had to send sick children home, and the health and hygiene of the population in general is being severely affected. The levels of schools’ water tanks are running dangerously low.

Added to this, a planned Eskom power outage at the Koppie Alleen reservoir on Wednesday affected the water supply to Hennenman, Phomolong, Mmamahabane and Ventersburg.

The FF Plus has sent a letter to the minister of Water and Sanitation, Pemmy Majodina, to urgently intervene.

The Matjhabeng Municipality owes Vaal Central Water (VCW) in excess of R7 billion. The current R12 million payment per month is, according to the VCW, insufficient.

“Ultimately, we must be mindful that it is the residents who are being affected while their constitutional right to access clean water is denied.”

René Steyn, DA councillor in Matjhabeng, says after ongoing discussions with municipal management, a formal request has been issued to the VCW to keep the water system open.

“They have not responded to this request, leaving residents and businesses in an increasingly desperate situation. Local businesses are facing closures due to inadequate water access, which not only impacts their operations, but poses a serious threat to the local economy,” she says.

They will continue working with all stakeholders to improve transparency and to find immediate relief for the community.

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