What expectations do we have of God? One frequently cited expectation is that if I do everything right, God will act justly and not bring difficulty my way.
Author: Busisiwe Hoho
Residents in need of an RDP house must submit their names to their ward councillors along with identification documents, says Makana spokesperson Thandy Matebese. He was responding to queries raised by township residents complaining about the state of housing. Makana Municipality does not build houses, he says. This is done by the provincial and national departments.
Those who were out and about on Wednesday night and watched the Dirty Skirts at the Student Union did not only attend a good performance, but also contributed to a good cause.
Rhodes University’s vision of consolidating a portion of land for residences was dealt a blow when the municipality announced that due to interest from developers the land is likely to go on public tender.
The contamination of our municipal water has forced many members of the community to resort to drinking bottled water or queueing for literally hours at a time in the veld near Coldstream spring. This is the most visible symptom of the ailing Makana water purification system and the severe drought that has affected the Eastern Cape for almost a year.
Water has been intensely racialised and today is fast becoming politicised. The fact of the matter is that it should be solely ‘humanised’ – de-racialised and de-politicised. Section 27(b) of the Constitution says that “every person has the right to access sufficient food and water”.
Democratic Alliance Councillor Michael Whisson believes the prospect of a waterless future is imminent and urges Grahamstown to sit up and take notice.
Many of the attendees at the water forum were frustrated that there were no clear cut answers as to whether Grahamstown’s water is safe to drink.
The forum also raised the issue of a lack of skilled management to maintain and run the municipal water services. Prof Denis Hughes, of the Institute of Water Research, said the maintenance of water systems is a nationwide and worldwide problem and that there are just not enough skilled managers and operators working on water supplies.
“The water quality issue is technical, historical and political,” says Prof Greg Ruiters of the Institute of Social and Economic Research.