Midlands towns face water disruptions

Alleged municipal dispute cited as cause

AN INTERNAL dispute between employees and management of Harry Gwala District Municipality has been cited as the reason for water disruption at the Midlands towns of Underberg and Himeville.

Since Friday, the two areas have been without water, leading to several businesses, including bed and breakfasts and schools, to close down.

According to ward councillor David Adam, the dispute could be linked to staff shortages and overtime issues.

Adam said he believed that a new manager at the municipality had been trying to curtail overtime work.

Municipal spokesperson Ndabezitha Tenza said the water supply disturbance was due to unforeseen circumstances at the weekend.

“There were disagreements between employees and management that resulted in the problem. We are working on getting water trucks out to the affected areas in the interim,” Tenza said.

A resident, who asked not to be named, said they were not prepared for the shortage.

“We have had no water since Thursday. We are borrowing what we can from those with water tanks, but what happens when they run out? We just have to wait for our water supply to return, but we don’t know when that will be,” she said.

Geraldine McFarlane, who runs the Arbuckle House BnB in Himeville, said she had a Jojo tank on her property but it was not enough to last the entire weekend.

“I have had to turn guests away. This has had a huge impact on my business. The guests get quite irate when you have to tell them to use water sparingly. They are paying for their accommodation and this is not fair on them,” she said.

McFarlane said they had not been told when the water supply would return.

Tenza said he hoped that the issues would be resolved by the end of the week.

Municipal worker unions, the Independent Municipal and Allied Workers Union and the South African Municipal Workers’ Union, said they were not aware of employee grievances.

In July last year, KwaNokweja, Mazabekweni, Gugwini and KwaThathani in the Harry Gwala District Municipality were left without water due to burst pipes, ageing infrastructure and illegal connections.