Dear Editor
The rural community of Middelburg has been left without water and electricity for the last three days. Tensions are on a knife-edge as the Chris Hani District Municipality (CHDM) has failed to manage the crisis.
Since Sunday, 26 December 2021, the community of Middelburg has been without electricity. This extended power outage has come as a result of a broken transformer at Noupoort, which was damaged by lightning some weeks ago and has yet to be fixed by Eskom.
The lack of electricity has made it impossible for the CHDM to continue to pump and reticulate borehole water to residents. Boreholes are the only source of water to the town. This is the fourth time in three weeks that Middelburg has encountered extended power and water outages.
The situation has been aggravated by the inability of the CHDM to put proper emergency measures in place. Two water tankers were made available during the course of yesterday and have to provide water to an estimated 15 000 residents.
None of the backup generators for boreholes are functional and as a result of the electricity outage water supply has come to an abrupt halt.
Adding insult to injury is the fact that the Middelburg Waste Water Treatment Plant as well as the sewage pump stations, which are also under the control of the CHDM, have been non-operational for years. It is now feared that the lack of water in the system could potentially have serious health repercussions for residents.
This morning the Democratic Alliance (DA) made contact with the Eastern Cape MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), Xolile Nqatha, and requested his urgent intervention. We also requested the MEC to source additional water tankers and to facilitate communication between the CHDM and Eskom in order to fast-track repairs to the transformer. The MEC has undertaken to immediately intervene in the unacceptable situation.
The DA has long called for the water and sanitation competency to be removed from the CHDM. The level of incompetence and neglect shown by the municipality is seriously compromising the health and well-being of residents.
We will continue to expose the incompetence and negligence of the Chris Hani District Municipality until national government intervenes and removes this competency from what must surely be the most incompetent water and sanitation service provider in the country.
Regards
Retief Odendaal, MPL
EC Midlands Constituency Leader