Angry Grahamstown east residents woke up on Sunday morning to yet another dry week of the festive season due to a problem with water pumps.
Angry Grahamstown east residents woke up on Sunday morning to yet another dry week of the festive season due to a problem with water pumps.
At this time of year most people need more rather than less water, as they have with plenty of washing, cleaning and cooking to do. However this was impossible for residents of Grahamstown east, who were forced to walk long distances to find water in other areas.
A dissapointed Extension 9 resident, Vuyo Booi, says when he opened the tap in his house on Sunday morning, it was dry. "How will I cook or even wash without water. This is unfair because we can’t enjoy Christmas while we face such challenges," he said.
People young and old queued with all sorts of containers at the Mayfield Cemetery in Phaphamani to fetch water. Shelmedene Whiteboy from Hoogenoog says she pushed a wheelbarrow all the way to the Mayfield Cemetery to collect water. Before making the difficult trip she said that she "couldn’t cook, wash or clean the house."
Some residents, who were walking from the cemetery, complained that the municipality didn’t inform township residents about the water problem. "People in town have water while we have to struggle and walk long distances to fetch water. What is our government doing to us?" said an angry resident who was loaded down with two buckets of water.
Chief fire officer Willem Welkom says that the Makana Fire Department is providing water to the affected areas using three water tankers. He also said that the in the interim, the fire department will place six 500-litre green JoJo tanks in strategic areas such as community halls so that people can get water within the vicinity.
"We are trying our best to work through this problem," said Welkom. He added that they will keep filling the tanks with water until the problem is fixed. The exact nature of the problem has not been disclosed and Grocott’s Mail failed to get a comment from the Makana Municipality after several attempts.
