THEIR water is dark and smelly. and residents are tired of it.
Angry residents said the water problem has been ongoing for two weeks.
Some residents were allegedly admitted to hospital for stomach bugs.
Residents of Zithobeni, Ekangala and Rethabiseng areas in Mpumalanga took to the streets on Monday, 23 May, to protest over water.
Community leader Fidel Phiri said said they feel neglected by the municipality.He the problem was caused by a sewage leakage, which is leaking into their main water supply around Bronkhorstspruit.
“We’re neglected and the issue of water is not prioritised. in our area.
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“We have people, including children, who have been hospitalised after drinking the contaminated water,” he said.
He said the dirty water issue is not new as the challenge has been going on for two years.
Phiri added that the majority of the community doesn’t have money to buy clean water.
“The municipality is telling us about investigations, which is taking long while people continue to get sick.”
“This is not right. We need a lasting solution,” he said.
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He said they were giving the municipality seven days to fix the problem. Resident Maria Ntuli (59) said: “The situation is bad and wThis dirty water will kill us.”
Utility Services MMC Daryl Johnston said the City of Tshwane was investigating concerns about water in Bronkhorstspruit.
“We’ve immediatelysent our water and sanitation teams out to check the system and conduct tests on the quality of the water. We are monitoring the matter closely.’
“Our repair teams have already fixed problems in the sewage reticulation systems in Vester Park and Lanham. In addition, we have conducted water quality tests in Bronkhorstspruit, Zithobeni and Rethabiseng. Initial testing shows that the water is clear, but we have more samples being tested,” he said.
“The good news is that preliminary testing shows no E. coli has been detected. Once we have the final results, an informed decision will then be made particularly if it is found that the water quality does not meet required standards. We are monitoring the matter closely and we will continue to update residents.”
