Water crisis threatens Kowie holiday trade
Tourism businesses pushed to the brink
Port Alfred businesses fear losing millions during the festive season because of a water crisis in Ndlambe municipality.
The municipality already faces a Covid-19 disaster, as reported in the Dispatch on Wednesday.
Gift of the Givers NGO is allocating resources to the area after pleas from anxious residents.
Sunshine Coast Tourism Board vice-chair Wouter Hensens told the Dispatch on Wednesday that the water shortage had pushed more than 100 tourism businesses to the brink.
It s disastrous. We had a similar
’ problem last year. In midDecember we ran out of water.”
He said it was especially hard for those who did not have water tanks, especially the smaller accommodation providers and B&Bs.
Worryingly, visitors who usually flock to the holiday coastal town from early December had not arrived yet.
Hensens said they used to worry about holidaymakers cutting their stays short, but this year they were worrying about when they would arrive. The tourists haven t even arrived “’ yet and most places can t
’ guarantee that they will have water over the season.”
He said the municipal water supply had been cut from Wednesday to Monday.
Since Monday the flow had been sporadic, making planning and coping difficult. We don t have a clear schedule. “’ The municipality first came out with a schedule saying there would be water every second day. That is something we thought we could work with,” he said.
He said businesses hoping for good festive season trade were also affected by the area being declared a Covid-19 hotspot, which he called a horrible
“combination ”.
Tourists want water, especially “if a person wants to spend a week or two here. As for residents, it can also be a big inconvenience but some people have water tanks or some other solution to keep things going.”
Mike Beaumont, who runs the Sheilan House guest house, said he had bookings up to Christmas.
I just bought a 5,000-litre “tank yesterday because my other 10,000-litre tank won t be
’ enough to keep guests happy.”
Whether he could keep his bookings was another story, he admitted. We ve had droughts
“’ before but I have never experienced anything like this in my 16 years of running this business, Beaumont said.
”
If the tourism sector here “struggles, then the whole town suffers, from restaurants to the casual workers who get employed during this period.”
Ndlovini township community leader Sydney Ngqele said people in the township have had to store water and limit their days of doing laundry.
It s so bad my neighbour “’ came to ask for water just to make tea this morning,” Ngqele said.
Siyanda Mtana, 18, said: We
“started a car wash business just to have some money to assist our families, but it s hard to
’ keep our business going when for most of the day there is no water. By the time the water is back in the evenings our customers have already left.”
The Dispatch team asked to use the toilet at a car workshop in town but the owner said there was no water to wash with or flush.
Ndlambe spokesperson Cecil Mbolekwa said: We ll issue
“’ statements after our water JOC meeting on Wednesday. Please be patient.”
Gift of The Givers project manager Ali Sablay told the Dispatch they had delivered water to the Marjorie Parrish TB hospital.
We sent a water truck from “
Makhanda and have requested a borehole for the area,” he said.