MEC for Local Government and Traditional Affairs Mlibo Qhoboshiyane was in Grahamstown this week to look into the ongoing water crises, but denies politicians in Makana aren’t showing political will to solve problems.
MEC for Local Government and Traditional Affairs Mlibo Qhoboshiyane was in Grahamstown this week to look into the ongoing water crises, but denies politicians in Makana aren’t showing political will to solve problems.
Many people living in Grahamstown East say they're left in the dark about water outages, whereas when Rhodes University kicks up a stink, it gets answers. These residents complain that there is a lack of political will to solve the water crises in Grahamstown.
In an interview with Grocott’s Mail on Tuesday, Qhoboshiyane said he has quarterly meetings with all Eastern Cape mayors. He reported that Executive Mayor Zamuxolo Peter has raised the water issue before, and to say there is no political will to improve the state these services in Makana would be "taking the matter to extremes".
As sourcing the billions of rands needed to fix water infrastructure in the city is a major problem, the MEC has communicated the matter to the Department of Water Affairs asking for an intervention. It has also been fast-tracked to the Eastern Cape Premier’s Executive Committee and the Presidency, he added.
Meanwhile, township residents are frustrated that they don’t get the same treatment as people living in the west side of town. A resident writing to Grocott’s Mail says the municipality sends emails and SMS updates to Rhodes University administration about water outages.
None of this kind of communication reaches residents in the townships.
A visit to Joza location proved that many in the area feel they are regarded as unimportant, because of the lack of communication from Makana Municipality. "It has been months now since we had a supply of water for the whole day. In the old days they would at least inform us," said Liziwe Nontyi of Joza Street.
"There was a car from the municipality that used to go around our area and announce a water outage, but this year that does not happen anymore. It would make a difference if we were told on time about water outages," she said.
Residents in the area say they understand that the area is in crisis, but they are irked that nobody bothers to inform them about what’s going on.
"Water is out for the whole day here and we never get notices, it is such an inconvenience for us especially when we have toilets inside, we cannot flush and it is not pleasant," said another Joza Street resident, Hazel Magobiyane. "They must tell us so that we can be prepared."
The Mayor acknowledges that there has been a need to improve communication between the municipality and the community. To address this, Peter said the municipality recently relaunched its website to ensure they better communicate with citizens.
He said it’s not true that they only respond to water issues when the university complains. "We have been handling water challenges in Makana not only yesterday, not only last week but since 2008," Peter said.
