The DA in Nala Local Municipality is concerned with the lack of urgency in providing service delivery and repairing ailing water infrastructure.
As water protests are occurring across the Free State, it is unacceptable that the municipality has not attended to service delivery and repairing unmaintained water pipes.
The community in the Free State have been plagued by water shortages caused by loadshedding. Additionally, infrastructure has been falling apart due to a lack of maintenance. The refuge has been left in the streets as no collections have occurred in weeks. In Bothaville various holes in the ground are left open with residents asking when the work will be completed. Please see pictures here, here, here and here
The DA has contacted the Municipal Manager as well as the Speaker of the municipality for clarity on when the situation will be resolved. We were informed that municipal workers are not at work or attending an MWU meeting during work hours and will only attend to services and repairs when it they are back at work. This will only be ‘somewhere’ next week. Therefore, residents in Bothaville will have to spend another weekend without services.
The DA will continue to pressure the municipality to solve the water crisis. We will follow up by submitting a letter to the Council, the Mayor and Speaker’s offices to seek clarity on the situation and propose a solution to the problem. We will address the council to find answers on why this situation was not regarded as urgent and what procedures are in place to prevent it from happening again.