Central SA
Bloemfontein left with no water on Mother’s Day─── CASEY-LEE ANTHONY 14:54 Mon, 13 May 2024
“We always have buckets and bottles of water in the house for days like that.”
Some residents of Bloemfontein were left without water on Sunday. After the scheduled 36-hour emergency shutdown residents were caught by surprise when they were left without water for an extra 60 hours.
Rockland, Pellissier, Bloemdal, Ferreira and a few other residential areas that feed directly from the Longridge reservoir take-off were without water from Wednesday (8/5) till late afternoon on Mother’s Day.
Rethabile Thoabala from Rocklands said she felt frustrated because she was not prepared for the extra days without water. Residents were left to fend for themselves as no Jojo tanks were allocated to the affected areas.
“We always have buckets and bottles of water in the house for days like that.” said Rethabile. Another resident said: “More or less twice a month there is no water from Thursday morning till Sunday afternoon.”
‘Human rights must be integrated into development plans’
“A society can only achieve high rates of public health, gender equity, educational attainment, and economic productivity when all of its members enjoy their rights to water and sanitation,” said DA Councillor Dave McKay.
“Respect for human rights must be integrated into development plans for all sectors, at all levels. It is high time that Vaal Central Water (old Bloem Water) and the metro bulk set their differences aside for the benefit of these rural communities and for the residents of Mangaung.
“It is time for the executive mayor to stop trying to avoid be implicated and prioritise crime and maintenance issues in this area in particular.”
OFM News/Casey-Lee Anthony dg