Note to Editors: Please find attached English soundbite by Cllr Ntombi Mokoena, Afrikaans soundbite by Cllr Anelia Smit and Sesotho soundbite by David Masoeu MPL
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Phumelela Local Municipality will escalate the ongoing water crisis affecting residents in Thabeng, Extension 4, Thembalihle in Ward 3, Vrede, to the Free State Legislature Through parliamentary oversight mechanisms, the DA will submit formal legislative questions to demand answers on the municipality’s failure to restore reliable water supply and to establish when residents will finally have running water from their taps.
For more than a decade, households in the area have been left without water from their taps following a disruption caused by cable installation work. This is despite the physical water connections and taps remaining in place. What should have been a basic infrastructure repair has instead become a prolonged failure by the municipality to provide residents with a reliable and essential service.
Residents have been forced to depend on water tankers for their basic daily needs, including drinking, cooking, washing and sanitation. However, this temporary service has deteriorated significantly over the past month, with erratic delivery schedules routinely leaving households in Thabeng, Extension 4, without water.
Information from municipal officials indicates that weekend overtime for tanker drivers has been cancelled due to a financial crisis within the municipality. This has further reduced access to water and deepened the hardship experienced by affected residents.
The DA will use legislative oversight to probe the financial and operational decisions behind the cancellation of weekend tanker overtime and demand immediate measures to restore reliable temporary water relief to the community.
The DA will also demand full transparency on the municipality’s technical plan and financial budget to permanently repair the damaged infrastructure and restore running water to every affected household.
Residents of Vrede should not have to wait another day, let alone another decade, for a basic service they are entitled to receive. The municipality must act urgently and restore their water supply.