| Listen Live |
|
|
|
|
|
Media clips require Real Player
|
|
|
South African Broadcasting Corporation Copyright ©
2000 - 2005 SABC |
|
|
|
 |
| |
 |
|
|
|
this
Tuesday June 24, 2003, SABC 3 at 9h30 pm -
"Troubled
Waters"
|
|
Water
drinkers and water providers in Nelspruit are heading
for a showdown. It's a classic case of people power
versus privatisation.
Against many people's
better judgement, municipal water provision in Nelspruit
was privatised five years ago. The providers said the
deal would bring more water to more people -
groundbreaking stuff for South Africans everywhere.
|
|
|
|
But
residents of nearby kaNyamazane - those who have money
and those who haven't - are simply not paying for the
water they get - or for any other services in fact. The
people say under apartheid they got one bill of R14 per
month. This was for water, sewage, garbage removal and
electricity. Now that they have the government that
promised them "free services for all", why
should they be flooded by so many different bills for
such large amounts every month?
The British company that
invested in Nelspruit water is suffering heavy losses.
At first they made massive strides - taking water to
far-flung places there'd never been water before. But
then as a culture of non-payment took hold, the money
dried up. They've had to halt developments they had
promised at the outset.
|
|
|
|
But
they're not taking it lying down. Draconian cost
recovery measures are being implemented. Homes have been
repossessed and furniture confiscated.
In response, some in the
community are threatening an uprising.
This investigation is
directed by award-winning journalist Anna-Maria Lombard
and was filmed by Byron Taylor. Hannes van Vuuren is the
editor.
|
|
|
|
page by Steven
Lang
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
