South Coast water cut by disgruntled union members

DISGRUNTLED members of a trade union are holding South Coast residents to ransom, cutting water supplies from Hibberdene to Port Edward.

Vandalism to infrastructure has left swathes of the South Coast without water or with an erratic water supply for up to a week.

According to the DA, Premier Willies Mchunu has said a task team would be deployed to Port Shepstone to address the crisis.

In spite of repeated attempts to contact the Ugu municipality, which was responsible for water reticulation, no reply was forthcoming following SMS, telephone and e-mail requests since Thursday.

Municipal manager DD Naidoo’s secretary said he had been locked in meetings.

According to Margate, Ramsgate and Southbroom DA ward councillor Dave Watson, certain members of the SA Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) had engaged in a co-ordinated, rampant and illegal attack on infrastructure meant to provide this essential service.

Samantha Botha lobbied on the Facebook page “Ugu Complaints” to take legal action, including criminal charges to be laid of terrorism, manipulation, blackmail, attempted murder – relating to how sick, elderly and frail people are affected – and sabotage of water supply, against Ugu employees.

“It is clear that the municipality is unable to manage the crisis with its current resources,” said the party’s Ugu South constituency head, Rishigen Viranna.

“Recently the area experienced persistent water cuts, to the enormous detriment of the community.”

Crucial infrastructure such as pipes, valves and reservoirs have also been vandalised and sabotaged during the illegal strikes that took place in Ugu.

“There are added reports of intimidation of municipal senior managers and private contractors by striking workers, to such an extent that they were not able to fulfil their duties.”

Viranna said the DA called for the necessary outside logistical and security personnel and resources to be brought in to repair the damage and secure municipal infrastructure.

“We further call for vital infrastructure such as reservoirs to be under constant surveillance to avoid further sabotage.”

The DA said it also supported a court interdict served on Samwu leadership.

“And we call on the police to immediately arrest all criminal elements.”

The strike has its roots in workers being paid out premiums from cancelled life insurance policies.

Samwu could not be reached for comment.

Centralised

Meanwhile, South Coast residents praised community efforts to supply one another with water, with businesses providing water tanks at centralised places and people driving in bakkies to deliver water.

“And it’s all had nothing to do with the state,” said Watson.

Riek Lenhoff, manager at Shelly Centre, said the shopping centre was using back-up tanks “to try to be a normal centre”.

A shopkeeper, who did not wish to be named, said people were getting up at 3am to do their washing to catch the build-up of water pressure.

Justin Mackrory, the chief executive of South Coast Tourism, said most members had made contingency plans through pre-installation of storage tanks, with top-ups from local sources, such as boreholes.

“As such they are still geared to host visitors on the South Coast.

“They also have been purchasing drinking water from retail outlets, some of whom have actually dropped their prices as a gesture to the community.”

Mackrory said the organisation had been involved with meetings involving water issues.

“We have also made representations to Ugu District Municipality about the concern the tourism and leisure sector.

“But not in terms of the labour matter at hand – that is the domain of Ugu District Municipality.”

He said he was optimistic that sense would prevail and supply would resume in time for the holiday rush.