Qunu running out of water
SIX days before the world commemorates the death of struggle icon Nelson Mandela, the people of his home village in the Eastern Cape are suffering.
For four weeks now, residents of Qunu have not had any water. Traditional leader Chief Nokwanele Balizulu described the water crisis as a ticking time-bomb. The situation in many parts is expected to remain the same for three weeks until a solution can be found.
In the meantime, water will be trucked in by the O R Tambo district municipality.
The Mandela homestead has not been affected.
“I am appealing for the intervention of both the provincial and the national governments,” Balizulu told the Saturday Dispatch.
Residents have been drawing water from pools used by animals, sparking fears of a breakout of waterborne diseases. During an earlier visit by the Saturday Dispatch, the pools were filled with sweet wrappers, condoms, cow dung and paper. However, yesterday it had been cleaned and only had algae.
Balizulu and the villagers believe that if Madiba were still alive the government would not have allowed the water situation to reach crisis levels, which could threaten the entire community.
The chief said the world’s eyes will once again turn to Qunu on December 5 – the village where the world icon was laid to rest.
“I have been to a number of offices about the situation but for weeks there has been no water in the village,” said Balizulu.
Qunu resident and a relative of Madiba, Noluthando Mandela, expressed disappointment in the O R Tambo district municipality and slammed the lack of communication regarding the water crisis.
“We are not sangomas and will not know what the problem is and when it is going to be fixed. Since my grandfather passed on, the district municipality has forgotten about Qunu,” said Noluthando, adding she was not speaking on behalf of the Mandela family.
Grade 12 pupil Ayabonga Gamakhulu said every morning before school and in the afternoon he would collect water from a natural spring near the Mandela family graveyard.
Residents start queuing from as early as 5am every day to get water, which becomes a trickle as the day progresses.
Staff at the local clinic warned that water should be purified before drinking it.
The district municipality yesterday promised that there would be a “difference” in Qunu in terms of water supply in the next three weeks.
Acting municipal manager Andiswa Dunywa admitted to water challenges experienced in Qunu.
“The process of upgrading boreholes in the area is in progress and this process has resulted in a huge demand for electricity,” she said.
“Also, we had noted that Upper Qunu has been experiencing challenges of water because of the illegal connection, which was attended to on October 30 after a community meeting.”
Dunywa said areas experiencing water challenges were Nkalane and Matheko due to the supply from the borehole drying up. The municipality was in the process of checking an alternative source.
“As an intervention measure, water tanks have been sent to Matheko for water carting whilst there is a challenge of dried up boreholes. We are also in the process of sending more water tanks to Nkalane,” said Dunywa.
The municipality said water problems experienced in the Lwalweni area were caused by a burnt water pump due to the high voltage.
However, an alternative arrangement had already been made.
Dunywa said as a means of addressing the water problem the O R Tambo District Municipality was implementing a new approach where standalone water schemes and boreholes would be replaced by regional water schemes to ensure that the district can meet water demand in the various areas.
The South African government has lined up a number of activities to commemorate Mandela. On December 5, at exactly three minutes and seven seconds to 10am, all schools, factories and places of worship have been asked to ring their bells and sirens to call the country to attention.
South Africans will then be asked to observe a moment of silence up to 10.03am followed by the singing of the national anthem.
Balizulu said he hoped water would be restored by next week.
She said that they were planning to visit the Mandela homestead and family on December 6 to say their thank you for the work Mandela had done in the village.
“We want to ask the family not to dump us but continue working with us and look after us as Tata would do. We hope to meet Graça on December 6 as we have learnt that she would be at the homestead,” said Balizulu.
The village is expected to walk from the Qunu homestead to the Nelson Mandela Museum in Qunu about 5km away. — lulamilef@dispatch.