The newly elected ANC leadership in Buffalo City has raised serious concerns about the ongoing water and electricity crisis in many parts of the metro, saying such challenges undermined livelihoods, economic activity and crippled service delivery.
This, the party said, was amid suspicions that water and electricity infrastructure was being deliberately sabotaged by what they termed business syndicates, who were “hell-bent on benefiting from the crisis that comes with such water and electricity outages”.
The party’s newly unveiled regional secretary, Anele Lizo, said on Wednesday they would soon instruct the municipal authorities and the city’s water provision implementing agency, Amatola Water, to institute an extensive investigation on suspicions that infrastructure was being deliberately sabotaged around the city.
This comes as many city residents faced a bleak festive season, with some forced to throw away spoilt food, while others had to consume unsafe drinking water, mostly from water tankers.
It was either dry taps or power outages for communities around Bhisho, Mdantsane, Gonubie, Ntabozuko, Kayser’s Beach, Tsholomnqa, East London, Sunny Ridge, Greenfields, and many other areas.
Some residents in Amalinda, East London, took to the streets this week, burning tyres and barricading a main road over power outages.
Persistent operational shortcomings and the poor maintenance of bulk water infrastructure pose a serious threat to the capacity of BCM to fulfil its constitutional mandate of providing sustainable water services to its people
— Anele Lizo, ANC regional secretary
And a resident in Mdantsane’s NU3, who did not want to be named, was left devastated in late December when his house burned down, “all because there was no water in my house and in the neighbourhood”.
Flames, as a result of a faulty electric stove, were spotted early but could not be contained as there was no water supply to the area, leaving the six-roomed house completely gutted.
Meanwhile other media reported an Amalinda resident telling of being forced to take unscheduled breaks from her workplace to rush home a number of times a day to check whether an oxygen support machine her mother relies on for survival still had power.
She had to charge the machine’s spare battery at her workplace, as power had been inconsistent in their area since mid-December.
Cable theft had been blamed for the power outages in Amalinda.
The new ANC bosses in the region said the ongoing water and electricity outages also “undermines the credibility and public image” of the party.
Party bosses blamed the troubled Amatola Water Board for the constant water woes, saying it could derail the metro in performing its service delivery obligations.
“While encouraging the municipality to remain resolute in addressing these challenges, the REC also noted suspected acts of vandalism and criminality by private entities driven by financial gain, which deliberately sabotage public infrastructure.
“Further, the REC is deeply concerned over the continued failures by Amatola Water ... to supply clean, safe and reliable water to our communities.
“Persistent operational shortcomings and the poor maintenance of bulk water infrastructure pose a serious threat to the capacity of BCM to fulfil its constitutional mandate of providing sustainable water services to its people,” Lizo said.
“These failures disrupt households, undermine economic activity and erode public confidence in the state’s ability to deliver basic services.
“Critically, the ongoing water crisis also undermines the credibility and public image of the ANC ... reinforcing perceptions of governance weakness and service delivery decline.”
BCM mayor Princess Faku, who is also the ANC regional chair, had previously raised concerns about what she termed “water tanker mafia” around the city.
This week, she vowed to get to the bottom of water and electricity sabotage around the city.
Amatola Water Board spokesperson Nolitha Mbangcolo attributed BCM’s water crisis to excessive demand.
“We understand that the current water supply is insufficient because the demand exceeds what government is currently capable of providing.
“The high demand driven by population growth, illegal connections, and aging infrastructure, coupled with limited resources and insufficient funding, continues to hamper water supply and delivery,” Mbangcolo said.
Amalinda resident Nondidi Hlahla said consistent power outages since early December had been a nightmare.
“I have been living in Amalinda for 23 years, but now I regret buying a house in this area.
“It’s amazing how this electricity issue is only happening in Amalinda, and it’s crazy, trust me.
“As Amalinda residents, this is the first time we experience cable theft to an extent we end up losing so much.
“Our food was ruined, ” Hlahla said.
Nearby, the Haven Hills Residents’ Association chair, Pastor Tony Plaatjies, said power outages had contributed to the escalation of crime in the area as alarms were ineffective.
Plaatjies also blamed criminal syndicates for their electricity woes.
“This is organised crime. This type of crime must be regarded or classified as a priority crime, and a task team must be established to deal specifically with this type of crime.”
DA councillor Anathi Majeke, who on Wednesday described the metro’s water and electricity challenges as catastrophic, demanded immediate and transparent accountability.
Majeke said, for years, her party “had warned that a lack of maintenance, compounded by gross financial mismanagement, would lead to the total collapse we are now witnessing”.
Black Business Forum president Luthando Bara said the continued water and electricity disruptions across Buffalo City are of serious concern and are placing residents and businesses under immense strain.
Bara said acts of alleged sabotage needs to be probed.
“The recent barricading of the main road in Amalinda is a clear reflection of growing public frustration.”
Daily Dispatch
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