Residents of Temba in Hammanskraal are complaining that they are being forced to pay high bills for undrinkable and foul-smelling water and their complaints to the municipal officials are falling on deaf ears.
A 79-year-old resident said she received a rates and water statement saying she owed the municipality R43 000 for water and when she complained she was told the amount will be reduced.
“I am still waiting for feedback from the municipality. The municipal bill says I owe the municipality R43 000 for this smelly water,” said the 79-year-old.
Thomas Chauke said community members have to cough up more money to buy clean water from the store.
“The water crisis is also costing us. We sometimes need to buy water. It costs us about R5 for five litres. Every house has different incomes and some rely on social grants. We now need to budget a little bit extra for water.
“We have pensioners who are unable to go to the tanker to fetch water, so how are they (municipal) assisting those people? The water is a huge challenge because water tankers come only twice a week and sometimes they don’t come at all,” said Chauke.
Chauke wants the municipality to stop changing residents for water until the water problem is resolved.
“When we request the water tankers to go to the gate, they usually refuse saying they only stop at specific points like on the street corners. The other problem is that we pay the bills for water.
“We are requesting the municipality stop charging us for water until we get clean drinking water. They must clear the bill until these water challenges are resolved, if they will be resolved, because the problem dates back years,” said Chauke.
The South African Human Right Commission(SAHRC) has recommended that the situation regarding failing water treatment works in South Africa and its consequent pollution of water resources, be declared a national disaster, in accordance with the Disaster Management Act.
The commission also recommended that municipal managers who were in place during the deterioration of waste water treatment work in the City of Tshwane, and who allowed pollution to continue through failure to deliver on their statutory and constitutional obligations in terms of the MSA, WSA and NWA be held accountable in terms permissible by legislation, including, through criminal prosecution.
The Municipality is yet to respond to newsnote Enquiry.
