Residents of Mahwelereng township in Mokopane, Limpopo, say load-shedding has worsened the water scarcity they have been experiencing for years.
Cathrine Molomo, 62, said they sometimes go up to two days without bathing, while doing simple house chores like washing dishes was a problem.
Buckets and plastic bottles could be seen inside a shack in the yard, which the pensioner uses for water storage. “Yesterday we had water for a few hours but today there's nothing. We can't even bath and looking after children without water is a problem,” said Molomo, who lives with her four grandchildren.
Caregiver Francina Madisha, who assists patients suffering from illnesses such as TB, HIV and cancer, said without water it was difficult as they have to bath, prepare meals and clean their houses.
“Sometimes when you visit a patient their home is dirty and the toilet is unhygienic, which is not conducive to their health,” Madisha said.
She said people in the area were forced to buy 20l water containers for R2 or R5 from local vendors in order to survive.
Another resident, Maria Monare, said people who cannot afford to install boreholes were worse off. “A lot of people are not working, so they can’t afford to install boreholes,” Monare said.
Evelyn Hlahla said having a borehole meant she could check the schedule and fill up the JoJo tank before the power cut happens. Hlahla said load-shedding was not the only thing to blame as water had been an ongoing issue in the area.
Community activist Baba Selomo said communities had been having water problems for years.
Selomo said the municipality was not doing enough to service communities, while disputes between pump operators contributed to water shortages.
“Load-shedding does contribute to the problem but even when there is electricity, water is a problem for our people,” Selomo said.
mahopoz@sowetan.co.za
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