“The last time we saw water droplets coming out of the tap was about 15 years ago. I remember this well because that was when my nephew was born,” Mpumalanga Makusebo Hlati from Swarala village in Mbombela city says.
According to Statistics SA, more than 8,000 people live in Hlaty's village. Many of the villagers live in brick houses, but the area is largely rural with little infrastructure.
Frati is unemployed and lives with five other relatives. They spend R300 a month on filling her 5,000 liter water tank. Ms Hlati lost her job at a local supermarket two years ago and is now living off her two children's social grants. To make the water they purchase last longer, Frati's family uses pit toilets instead of flush toilets.
She said neighbors who can't afford water are being forced to shuttle containers in wheelbarrows to a community well about 3 kilometers away.
Last week, the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) released a report following an investigation into how Mpumalanga Municipality delivered services to the community in the 2021/22 financial year.
The investigation followed years of protests and complaints against various municipalities in Mpumalanga. All 17 local governments and three county cities and relevant government departments made presentations.
Issues raised include failures by municipalities to provide water and shelter, sewage spills, sewage treatment challenges, failure to collect trash and potholes.
According to the report, Mbombela City noted that a 2016 community survey revealed that 149,599 households had access to water, while 58,209 households lacked water.
City official Wiseman James Khumalo told the inquiry that the city had several challenges, including low income. Revenue was primarily collected in towns and urban areas such as Mbombela, White River, Hazyview, Barberton, Kabokweni, Kanyamazane and Matsuru.
“The remaining 70% consists of rural areas that do not pay for the service,” he said.
During a field visit to Kashabalara village, SAHRC found that some residents had standpipes but little access to water. In another district, a family could only draw water from the tap once a week. Other days they had to go to the communal standpipe. Some families even had Jojo Tanks.
“These residents purchase water from private suppliers for R150 per 2,500-litre tank,” the report said.
Listen/Read: Almost half of SA's water is unsafe to drink
The commission found that the municipality was “in violation of Article 27 of the Constitution regarding the regulation of mandatory national standards and measures to save water.”
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“The municipality's plan is based on outdated statistics dating back to 2016, making the plan invalid as the population has increased significantly,” the report said.
The commission ordered municipalities to comply with national water regulations within 90 days of the release of the report. This includes providing 25 liters of drinking water per person per day, or at least 6 kiloliters per household per month. The installation site must be within 200 meters of a household and must have the effect of leaving residents unoccupied for at least seven full days a year.
The City also plans to submit a detailed report to the Commission within 30 days of the report on its plans to address the growing number of land occupation issues impacting the City's service delivery.
Local government responds
City spokesperson Joseph Ngala acknowledged that some areas do not have continuous water supply. Mr Ngala claimed that Swarala's water problems were caused by an influx of people occupying land and illegally connecting to water infrastructure.
As a temporary solution, four wells will be installed and supply to the affected communities will be supplemented by water tankers, Ngala said.
Regarding Shabalala village, he said: “The area is supplied with water at least once every three days. The grid infrastructure has been upgraded, except for a new area on the eastern bank of the village. This area will also soon have a grid. and will be delivered through the Nyongane Reservoir Distribution Zone.”
He acknowledged that Sand River Village and the Kamagika area are facing a water crisis.
“The main supply issue here is the lack of storage available in the area. Although the area has been growing for many years, the large-scale water supply infrastructure has never been upgraded. ”
He told GroundUp that the municipality is requesting funding for extensive infrastructure network renovations, including water treatment works, reservoirs and pump lines.
© 2024 GroundUp. This article was originally published here.