Through what they described as an aggressive campaign during the National water Week, Makana Municipality says it has got to the bottom of the water cuts and that Grahamstown's water woes are finally over.
Through what they described as an aggressive campaign during the National water Week, Makana Municipality says it has got to the bottom of the water cuts and that Grahamstown's water woes are finally over.
Speaking at the ceremony marking the end of the National Water Week on the 20 March, head of the infrastructure and technical services portfolio, Nomhle Gaga, said the municipality restored water to the worst affected areas .
"Our campaign started in Vukani and the first thing we discovered …was the ageing infrastructure," he said.
Delivering his keynote address, Mayor Zamuxolo Peter said that "unreported leakages were some of the factors that contributed to the water cuts in Vukani ,but we managed to fix them".
Peter said the municipality also opened the Tantyi resevoire "which also assisted to the water problems in Vukani".
Contrary to Peter and Gaga's claims, Vukani resident, MadodaTwani, said the water cuts are still rampant in his area.
“We’ve been experiencing water cuts as usual in emqokolweni (area situated on the valley in Vukani) with some of us having to go to Kwandancama to draw from a communal tap,” he said.
Peter then quashed rumours that the programme was an election campaign. “I heard those election campaign rumours but this forms part of the national programme ," he said.
Ward 5 councillor, Zonwabele Tame, also spoke about the importance of water. “This is a basic human right and is why the municipality is giving you 60 000 litres of water per year, for free".
Among the areas Gaga said had had water restored were Rhodes, and the Prison and Army bases. The closing ceremony opened with much fan fare and entertainment.
