The Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Polokwane Local Municipality has submitted questions seeking an implementable plan with clear timeframes to address the ongoing and dire water crisis in Makeketela Village (Ward 30) where residents are receiving water only once a week.
The plight of the Makeketela community is not merely a failure of service delivery, it is a violation of the most basic human right: the right to clean, accessible, and reliable water, as enshrined in our Bill of Rights and upheld by the Water Services Act.
The lack of a reliable water supply has pushed this community to the brink. Without water, residents are unable to maintain proper hygiene, mothers cannot cook for their families, and learners attend school in dirty uniforms.
The persistent failure by the Polokwane Municipality to provide a clear schedule for pump operations and operators, to repair known leaks and burst pipes, and to implement a regular water delivery schedule in Makeketela, has stripped residents of their dignity.
A scathing 2023 report by the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) on access to water and the efficacy of Water Services Authorities found that the Polokwane Municipality “acknowledged that it is not providing water to all residents within its jurisdiction”. The Commission made 26 findings and recommendations including that a consumer cannot be without water for more than seven full days per year, recommendations that clearly fell on deaf ears.
The exasperated residents of Makeketela are without water for six days each week, and their understandable frustrations have reached boiling point.
The DA expects the municipality to provide an implementable plan, with clear timeframes, to ensure a reliable and continuous supply of water to Makeketela in line with the recommendations and findings made by the SAHRC.
It can no longer be tolerated that the Polokwane Municipality continues to fail in its lawful duties and responsibilities as a Water Services Authority with impunity. The residents of Polokwane deserve better.