The Democratic Alliance (DA) has opened a national Human Rights Commission complaint over a shocking 12 year water shut-off in parts of the Lekwau Municipality, to fight for this community which has been abandoned by the ANC.
The community of ward 5 which includes Palama, Mapheshini and kaMqhewane have been without water for the past twelve years, despite the fact that they have infrastructure, which previously delivered running water, until it was inexplicably shut off 12 years ago.
This has left a community denied their basic human right to water, and residents now wait by the side of the road water tankers. Irregular water tanker schedules provided by the municipality have left residents stranded for hours waiting for water tankers, over a 12 year period.
The DA has raised this matter in Parliament, and demanded action from Deputy Minister Mahlobo but to date he has been silent on feedback.
Through the DA’s intervention last December, two 5000 litre Jojo Tanks were made available to this community but shockingly more than three months later the Jojo Tanks are gathering dust at a municipal building.
The DA is of the view that the disregard of this request is deliberate, as looting of municipal resources continue through the use of water tanker contracts. A water tanker mafia is growing across South Africa.
The DA expects this matter to be handled thoroughly by the SAHRC because the municipality is violating the community’s right to water, and has been for 12 dry years.