“This town will die!” There was palpable frustration by community members who stormed the municipal offices on Wednesday afternoon, venting their anger against the recurring water outages.
“This town will die!” There was palpable frustration by community members who stormed the municipal offices on Wednesday afternoon, venting their anger against the recurring water outages.
But their grievances went beyond the exasperation of not having one of the world’s most precious resources running through their taps.
The economic consequences of water shortages in Grahamstown have been severe.
Business owners present at the protest were particularly vocal, emphasising the financial losses they have experienced.
“You are not doing your jobs!” said Eugene Repinz, head of the Grahamstown Business Forum, to the Acting Municipal Manager Thembinkosi Myalato and other councillors.
Owners of hospitality establishments vented their anger too, saying many guests had either cancelled their reservations, or departed early because of lack of water.
The latest water outage coincided with this year’s Scifest Africa festival (13-19 March) and similar problems have occurred in the past during graduation and the National Arts Festival – peak periods for the hospitality industry in Grahamstown.
Jabu van Niekerk, director of the Raphael Centre, said that she has had to close down the HIV/Aids counselling and testing centre for several days because of the current water shortage.
Normally, they feed those who visit the centre. “For some, this is there only meal of the day, and we are unable to provide that now,” she said.
The outage has been even more damaging for Rhodes University, which caters for 3 500 resident students and a day population of almost 10 000.
Rhodes is spending an estimated R115 000 per day on water during the crisis. Those present at the meeting accused the municipality of not maintaining and monitoring the water systems in Grahamstown.
Myalato, who was under attack for most of the meeting, explained how rusty valves and old pipes along the water systems were the major contributors to the problem.
He said the municipality will invest heavily in repairing the pipes.
