Free State’s unclean water: Communities battles to take a ‘mere’ glass of water

Access to clean water in Free State remains a concern, with residents suffering from tummy aches and diarrhea among other health issues.

Despite woes facing communities, municipalities across the province are forcing communities to empty their pockets to pay for inadequate services.

Communities says supply of water is a great concern, and they doubt that even after paying their bills they will be exposed to clean water.

Citizens have been drinking water polluted by high levels of sewage, and say the only way to consume a glass of water is to boil it.

Lehloohonolo Motseki, a construction worker who takes home R2 000 as a salary in a month to provide for his family, says communities receive alarming notifications from Matjhabeng municipality to pay for services.

This follows a pressed call by the municipality’s mayor Thanduxolo Khalipa who urged residents to pay up.

It was in December 2021, shortly after taking the reins from his predecessor Nkosinjani Speelman, where Khalipa told communities that if they can afford to pay for DStv subscriptions, they can still pay for their services.

Khalipa introduced Operation Patala, a campaign launched to force residents to pay up for basic services.

Motseki says he opposes this move by the mayor, as he has to cough up money from his pocket to purchase medication, as they always battles with stomach cramps due to unclean water.

“We are forced to pay money for water consumption that is unclean, we have endured this polluted water for years, and we were paying at first for the same water we are subjected to, how things will change for now?” says aggravated Motseki.

In Matjhabeng municipality, townships such as Welkom, Odendaalsrus, Allanridge, Virginia and Hennenman are plagued by shortages of supply of water and unclean drinking water.

In addition, citizens are exposed to sewage spillages that comes with dirty sanitary pads and smelly nappies scattered in the roads.

In December last year, Kasi Voice News reached out to the municipality spokesperson Kgojane Matutle who told the Ultimate voice of community that the municipality needs R2-billion to repair its 18 sewage plants.

The municipality has thus far managed to work on six sewage pumps amongst the remaining 12 pumps still to be revamped.

Another resident, Mathapelo Tsopo, an unemployed resident based in Masilonyana municipality says she lives in a shack with her family, and they battle with unemployment and their only source of income is solely a social grant.

Tsopo says the municipality has been strangling their neck to pay up for their services.

She adds that, her mother lives with a chronic disease that requires her to regularly take a glass of water, however, she is impuissant to its uncleanness.

“My mother cannot simply pour a glass of water from the tap to help her swallow her pills as water is filthy.  

“When Constitution was adopted in 1994, it stated that people should have access to clean water, where is that? this is a violation of the human right.

“Moreover to this, we are being forced to pay for these services,” said disgruntled Tsopo.

In 2019, Masilonyana municipal documents were leaked to the media that revealed how a consultant – a civil engineering firm, and an electrical and mechanical contractor were appointed to refurbish Winburg’s water purification plant in January, however, due to poor performance, both the contractor and consultant were terminated, and this led to the municipality in supplying clean drinking water.

The supply dam in Winburg is is polluted with untreated effluent from the wastewater treatment works.

With majority of municipalities such as Matjhabeng, Masilonyana, Nala and Mafube in the Free State placed under regulatory focus for wastewater, and residents bearing the brunt of unclean water, Kasi Voice News reached the office of South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) for a comment.

Thabang Kheswa, provincial manager at SAHRC says the matter has been addressed to their office.

“We have been made aware of water challenges in the municipalities referred to and investigations are ongoing.

“We are also planning to hold an investigative enquiry in September or October, where all municipalities in the Free State will make oral and written submissions on challenges and plans they have to address basic services challenges,’ says Kheswa.

He added that the commission will thereafter produce a report in due course.