Some residents of Geelhoutpark in Rustenburg, North West, have expressed anger at being forced to live without water for the past 8 days and that fact that there is no communication from their municipality makes their plight unbearable.
Katlego Nkwe who stays in Geelhoutpark, has written to the municipality Mayor Sheila Mabale Huma, about his frustration about the lack of water supply in the area.
“It’s disheartening to note that despite being loyal rate-paying citizens, we have been deprived of one of the most basic necessities of life. The absence of water for such an extended period has had a significant impact on our daily lives, making it extremely challenging to carry out even the most basic tasks, such as cooking, cleaning, and maintaining personal hygiene.
“What adds to our distress is the lack of communication and notice from the municipality regarding this prolonged water outage. As responsible citizens, we believe that it is our right to be informed about any disruptions in the essential services provided by the municipality. The absence of timely updates has left us feeling neglected and abandoned, without any clarity on when this dire situation will be resolved.
“Furthermore, it is unjust and unreasonable to expect us to pay our rates and utility bills when we are enduring days without access to a basic necessity like water. We request that the municipality consider the tremendous inconvenience and hardship we have endured during this period and take appropriate measures to rectify the situation promptly.
“Kindly urge you to intervene urgently, as the lack of water supply not only affects our day-to-day lives but also poses potential health risks to the community. It is essential that the municipality addresses this issue with utmost priority and ensures the restoration of water services to our area as soon as possible,” wrote Nkwe.
Tsholofelo Ditau, from extension 9 in Geelhoutpark, said living without water is harmful especially in winter, adding that even though they were told that there will be water tankers in the area, she hasn’t seen any.
Ditau said the most annoying thing is that there’s no communication from the municipality regarding the issue even though they pay high monthly rates.
“We pay our monthly rates every month but I feel that the municipality is failing us big time. I just wonder what they’re thinking, what are we supposed to do, who are we supposed to ask assistance from as it seems they do not care.
“We have been without water for two weeks, our toilets are smelly in the house, we can’t flush them, we can’t even wash our laundry, bath or cook in this weather,” said the frustrated resident.
Another resident Millicent Mphahlele, echoed Tsholofelo’s sentiments saying she feels like the municipality doesn’t take responsibility nor want to fix the problem.
No comments have been received from the municipality despite numerous attempts.
