Ekuphumleni resident Mike Konaha recently woke up to an empty rain water tank after thieves stole the metal tap during Eskom loadshedding earlier last month.
Konaha said the current water crisis in Ndlambe had worsened the situation. Partly thanks to loadshedding, water in Ndlambe is a problem with some areas dry for days at a time.
“It was on 11 July when we woke up to no tap on the wall and no tap on the rain water tank. They were taken by thieves or a bunch of losers who took advantage of us,” Konaha said. “The 3000 litre tank was empty and there was water on the street from my tank.
“This is because of loadshedding and because of lack of water from Ndlambe Municipality,” he said. “If there had been water in the taps we would have heard when they took the tap,” he said.
Konaha said his rain water tank was full from the previous day’s rain and that he was using his water for his home and also helping the community in his street whenever the communal tank placed by Ndlambe Municipality ran dry.
“We have a 2 year old daughter. Myself and my wife we have had operations and I am not allowed to lift up heavy stuff. But I did because I have to go and ask for water from other houses about 1000 metres away from my house,” he said.
Ndlambe Municipal spokesperson Cecil Mbolekwa refuted Konaha’s claims citing the challenges faced by Ndlambe Municipal officials when they were trying to fill up Konaha’s water tank.
“It’s not true that we refused to sell him water. Municipal officials went to fill up his water tank but when they arrived our pipe was not long enough to reach where the water tank was so they ended up filling up a water tank next to his home where he can easily get the water. We also noted that we need more pipes longer than the ones have so that we can be able to reach anyone’s tank where necessary,” he said.
