Communities in Free State continue to struggle to obtain basic services amid power cuts

Communities in the Free State continue to battle to secure basic services. Many towns in the province are experiencing a lack of water supply due to inadequate or ageing infrastructure.

This comes as some municipalities are battling to service and maintain the infrastructure. The situation is also worsened by frequent power cuts.

Although it is still early in the year, residents in the Free State are already up in arms. The lack of basic services continues to be a thorny issue for them. The challenges range from shortages of water to poor infrastructure.

Recently, Kroonstad and Ventersburg residents embarked on a violent protest over the shortage of water. They say the situation has been continuing for years.

“We are disturbed by the smell of sewage. And water going through our yards. I’m leaving with young children and I’m struggling with the sewage that runs in the streets. When it rains also water just passed through and it’s been years since we have asked our municipality to help. It’s been years,” a resident explains.

“My challenge is the sewerage spillage; I have more than 21 years or let me make it 30 years living here with the sewage spilling in front of the yard. The other thing is water which is a great challenge here in Mamahabe in venter. We don’t have water for a period of three to four weeks in our area. And I also right now next to where I leave there is sewage spillage that runs through every day throughout the year. It’s not fixed,” another resident elaborates.

“Even at schools, children don’t have water. Their education is affected because they have to leave the school early because of a lack of water. And we don’t know what the cause of the problem is. There’s no one who can tell us what the cause of the problem with water in our area is. When have complained for years even our houses are leaking when it rains. Sometimes the children fall into sewage water. There are now better services that we are getting here,” another Resident said.

The Matjhabeng municipality, which includes towns such as Welkom, Virginia, Odendaalsrus, Hennenman and Ventersburg, has a challenge in water supply to its residents.

The municipality says they have requested the minister of water and sanitation as well as the provincial government to assist them.

“We know that once we make that request to Minister Senzo and he will then interact with Minister of Finance to intervene in our municipality on issues of water which remains a challenge because of aging infrastructure and all these challenges and even ourselves as municipal we did. It put a maintenance plan which is now in the new budget we are implementing, we did budget for maintenance of 20 % but it is not enough because we have these challenges everywhere in Matjhabeng because of old aging infrastructure,” says Thanduxolo Khalipha: Matjhabeng municipal mayor.

Cooperative governance says plans are in place to assist struggling municipalities.

“With regards to water situations in the province, be it in Ngwathe, Matjhabeng, Petersburg, or any other such town or municipality that is adversely affected by the water situation. The department of cooperative governance and traditional affairs and human settlements under the leadership of Mxolisi Dukwana would like to state that it does support municipalities with bulk infrastructure. And instances where municipalities have to keep on supporting their network infrastructure, they are allowed 10 % of their allocated funds to do so,” says Department of Cooperative governance spokesperson, Sello Dithebe.

Other towns such as Zastron in Mohokare municipality continue to battle with water shortages despite efforts made by the department to improve the situation.