By Doreen Mokgolo
Residents of Ekurhuleni are frustrated after their taps ran dry on Friday morning because of Rand Water’s maintenance work.
In many neighbourhoods, long lines of people queued at water points and searched for water trucks in nearby areas.
Pensioners living alone have been particularly hard hit as they can’t easily get to the water points, and no special help has been provided for them.
Maria Motsamai, a pensioner from Daveyton, told Scrolla.Africa she was shocked when she found her taps dry on Friday.
“I didn’t have any water and had to beg my neighbours for just a cup to drink. Since then, I’ve been relying on them to share, but it’s not enough for my basic needs. Why didn’t they think about pensioners?” she asked.
Another pensioner, Mantoa Moloi, said she is tired of the government cutting services for maintenance purposes.
“The leaders don’t take us seriously. If it’s not load shedding, then it’s water shedding. They wait until there is too much damage before doing maintenance, which affects us badly,” she said.
On Friday, Rand Water started maintenance work affecting 16 areas, which was supposed to last three days.
Ekurhuleni MMC for water and sanitation, Thembi Msane, said the work was expected to have been finished by Monday morning. But by Monday evening, only one of the three pumps was working.
“As a result, reservoirs are affected,” Msane said. “We will start restoring water once it reaches the city’s reservoirs. High-lying areas will be the last to get water back. Full recovery might take up to three weeks.”
Pictured above: Residents queue for water in Daveyton.
Source: Doreen Mokgolo
