Download PDFDay zero is a harsh reality for Sterkspruit, a small rural town in the Eastern Cape (EC) where residents are struggling to access water to survive amid a severe water crisis.
Sterkspruit, is home to indigent communities struggling to access basic necessities like clean water. The Eastern Cape government’s lack of action towards ending the water crisis has left the residents of Sterkspruit without a choice but only expensive and often unreliable options.
In Kwakhiba village, residents are forced to pay outrageous amount of money for water. A single tank refill costs up to R450, a huge amount for families already struggling to make ends meet. Those who cannot afford this luxury are left with no option but to rely on well and river water, which is often dirty and contaminated. Villagers have to share the water with animals. “This is a crisis situation,” said Alakhe Mdunyelwa, a concerned Sterkspruit resident.
Despite a number of requests for piped water services, the situation remains unchanged. The lack of access to clean water is a pressing concern, with serious consequences for the health, well-being, and dignity of Sterkspruit’s residents.
It’s been years, the provincial government has no tangible plan to deliver clean water to the people. In many villages, there is no infrastructure whatsoever to signal intent to pipe water for people who are then left to find their own solutions
“It’s unacceptable that in a country like South Africa, where we pride ourselves in our democratic values, communities are still struggling to access basic services like water,” added Mdunyelwa.
The government’s failure to provide water services to Sterkspruit communities and the whole of EC led of water profiteers, where corrupt individuals profit from the desperation of others.
“This further burdens as residents are forced to pay high prices for a resource that should be freely available. It is so painful that people have turned the lack of water in our communities into profit, it’s sad to see people, women in particular, struggle during serious occasions such as funerals to get water, we are neglected,” said Sipho Gigi.
Sterkspruit residents have lost hope and they demand access to clean, affordable water, and an end to the exploitation and neglect that has defined their lives for far too long. Residents demands urgency to address the water crisis in and ensure that all residents have access to clean.
This article was submitted on 13 January 2024. You may republish this article, so long as you credit the authors and Karibu! Online (www.Karibu.org.za), and do not change the text. Please include a link back to the original article.
