As of November 22, thousands of residents in Cradock in the Inxuba Yethemba Municipality (IYM) have allegedly been suffering without running water since the taps ran dry a week ago.
According to Kobus Botha, EC Midlands Constituency Leader, the residents of Bergsig and Hillside have endured seven consecutive days of “being deprived of their basic human right” to access water.
He further said the central business district and industrial area in Cradock have also been receiving no water or experiencing a weak flow of water.
Botha said the local animal shelter that provides care for more than 200 animals is also still without water and is dependent on water provision from good Samaritans.
He said Water and sanitation provision to the IYM is the competency of the Chris Hani District Municipality (CHDM).
“Residents of Cradock and Middelburg in the IYM have become used to extended water outages and raw sewage flowing into streets and rivers,” said Botha.
He said on November 21, he wrote to the Eastern Cape MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), Zolile Williams, requesting him to provide a decisive plan to ensure that the water outage is addressed urgently which follows the letter he sent to the MEC last week regarding the same issue.
Botha said that the MEC responded by informing him that the pump that provides water to high-lying areas such as Bergsig and Hillside, has been non-operational for an extended period of time due to mechanical issues and a shortage of diesel.
“The Inxuba Yethemba faces the very real threat of watershedding if the CHDM does not act decisively to find solutions to the late payment of service providers, poor budgeting, and the inability to upgrade and maintain ageing water infrastructure,” said Botha.
