Pensioner spends R1,000 a month on water in this Free State village
Qholaqhwe village in the Eastern Free State has not had running water for more than five months, due to pump station failures.
Villagers have to get untreated water from nearby villages and mountain streams. Older people, unable to push wheelbarrows or lift water buckets themselves, are paying others to fetch water for them.
Tabita Kokong, a pensioner, said she has to spend up to R1,000 a month on water. 'I am living with grandchildren who have to take a bath in the morning at school and I also have to wash their clothes. There is a pile of clothes in the house,' she said.
Most of the village last had water five months ago, and in one part of the village they last had water in April 2024.
Reservoirs are too small and the pump station doesn't work properly due to 'random power outages,' said ward councillor Sashapa Motaung.
Motaung says repeated appeals to the Maluti-a-Phofung municipality to fix the problem have fallen on deaf ears.
Community leader James Majake says the municipality doesn't seem to care. 'They know that we don't have water but they don't even send water tankers.'
Maluti-A-Phofung spokesperson Kelopiloe Mongake said that the problem is mainly caused by 'electricity load reduction' causing the pump station to stop working. A generator has been bought but there is not always diesel.
Previously, one of the pumps was broken and had to be repaired. She said that the municipality's 'new leadership' is working on the problem.
This article first appeared on GroundUp. Read the original article here.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Eyewitness News
2 days ago
- Eyewitness News
Pensioner spends R1,000 a month on water in this Free State village
Qholaqhwe village in the Eastern Free State has not had running water for more than five months, due to pump station failures. Villagers have to get untreated water from nearby villages and mountain streams. Older people, unable to push wheelbarrows or lift water buckets themselves, are paying others to fetch water for them. Tabita Kokong, a pensioner, said she has to spend up to R1,000 a month on water. 'I am living with grandchildren who have to take a bath in the morning at school and I also have to wash their clothes. There is a pile of clothes in the house,' she said. Most of the village last had water five months ago, and in one part of the village they last had water in April 2024. Reservoirs are too small and the pump station doesn't work properly due to 'random power outages,' said ward councillor Sashapa Motaung. Motaung says repeated appeals to the Maluti-a-Phofung municipality to fix the problem have fallen on deaf ears. Community leader James Majake says the municipality doesn't seem to care. 'They know that we don't have water but they don't even send water tankers.' Maluti-A-Phofung spokesperson Kelopiloe Mongake said that the problem is mainly caused by 'electricity load reduction' causing the pump station to stop working. A generator has been bought but there is not always diesel. Previously, one of the pumps was broken and had to be repaired. She said that the municipality's 'new leadership' is working on the problem. This article first appeared on GroundUp. Read the original article here.
The Citizen
5 days ago
- The Citizen
City of Joburg billing failure wrongly connects meters, costs resident thousands
What started as a minor billing query last June turned into a year-long nightmare for Peter Maher, a resident in Orange Grove, who found himself paying thousands of rands each month for his neighbour's water consumption. Despite repeated complaints and formal appeals, the mix-up was only recently resolved – but not before costing Maher dearly, both financially and emotionally. Read more: Johannesburg Water is building a valve chamber on 16th Street and 1st Avenue in Parkhurst The trouble began in June 2024 when Maher noticed an unexpected surge in his water bill. 'My usual water bill is around R1 000 a month as I live alone,' he explained, 'but suddenly my bills jumped to R6 000 and sometimes even R8 000 a month.' Upon investigating, he discovered that his account was being charged for the water meter belonging to his neighbour at 19 5th Street. Despite early reports to Johannesburg City customer services in August 2024, it took until November for a meter reader to confirm that Maher's account included the neighbour's new-style water meter readings – a finding that should have resolved the issue swiftly. Instead, confusion and bureaucratic delays set in. 'Joburg Water sent SMSs saying the matter was closed and the billing was correct, even though their own meter reader's report contradicted that,' Maher said. The impact on Maher was severe. Unable to keep up with inflated bills, his electricity was cut off in May 2025 due to non-payment. He had to borrow money to settle his outstanding account and have power restored. The prolonged stress of the situation took a toll on his health. Attempts to resolve the matter through the City of Johannesburg's Ombudsman proved fruitless, with little to no feedback provided. Maher grew increasingly frustrated, suspecting internal blockages and systemic inefficiencies. 'It felt like being passed from pillar to post with no one taking responsibility.' The situation only turned around after a media inquiry and an on-site inspection in May 2025. Johannesburg Water officially acknowledged the error. According to spokesperson Nombuso Shabalala, 'An internal investigation identified that the water meter from 19 5th Street had been mistakenly linked to 21 5th Street due to a data entry error. This was corrected on May 23, and all incorrect charges will be reversed.' Also read: Water restored after Rosebank pipe burst Following media involvement, the issue was resolved swiftly. Maher received his municipal account on May 27 and confirmed that his correct meter number now appears on the bill. He has also been credited with the amount he was wrongly charged. 'It's a huge relief to finally see my correct meter on the account and to have been credited the correct amount. But it's incredibly disappointing that it took media involvement to get the city to take action. This should have been resolved months ago.' This case highlights broader concerns about the efficiency and reliability of municipal billing systems in Johannesburg. Residents complain that billing errors cause undue financial strain and stress, with many facing disconnections despite being law-abiding ratepayers. It raises urgent questions about accountability and the need for stronger oversight to protect vulnerable community members. Ward councillor Eleanor Hugget said the issue was part of a wider problem, with many Johannesburg residents facing ongoing stress due to repeated billing errors and poor resolution from the city. She described the system as inefficient, with residents often pushed from one department to another without proper help, forcing them to pay large sums to avoid service disconnections. Hugget called the situation unacceptable and a form of abuse. For Maher, the resolution brings closure, but also a sense of injustice. 'I'm glad it's finally been sorted out, but it shouldn't take the media to get basic service delivery. I just want to make sure no one else has to go through what I did.' Residents are urged to scrutinise their municipal accounts and report any anomalies immediately and regularly. The city's billing departments face mounting pressure to ensure transparency, responsiveness, and fairness for all. Follow us on our Whatsapp channel, Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok for the latest updates and inspiration! Have a story idea? We'd love to hear from you – join our WhatsApp group and share your thoughts! Related article: Water disruption in Rosebank and surrounding areas due to emergency repairs At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
Eyewitness News
5 days ago
- Eyewitness News
100-year-old Flagstaff school is falling apart
Flagstaff Comprehensive High School in Dlibona village in the Eastern Cape, built more than 100 years ago by the community, was to have been rebuilt in 2013. But years later, the school is in a terrible state. The classrooms are dilapidated, leaking, have broken windows and doors and cracked walls. During heavy rains, learners are often sent home because the classrooms are flooded. There are 14 pit toilets, only two of which are in working condition. The rest have no doors and the seats are broken. Since it was built by the community in 1924, the school got its first upgrade in 1975 to make it a junior secondary school. In 1996 it became a combined school. In 2013, the education department identified it and two other old schools for refurbishment. The Eastern Cape Development Corporation (ECDC) was tasked with managing the project. In its 2015/16 report, the ECDC said the school, had been identified as one of three old schools to benefit from a R195-million reconstruction project. The school was to get eight new classrooms, an administration block, a media centre, a science lab, a social science room, two offices for heads of department, a teachers' workroom, a dining room and kitchen, a guardhouse, 19 new ablution facilities, and new covered walkways. 'The school will be the first to be completed and should be ready for its 1,105 learners in the new school year,' the ECDC said. ECDC spokesperson Malithatwe Nombewu confirmed that the school was allocated to them by the provincial treasury. Nombewu said that a contractor was appointed in October 2015 for the construction of the primary school which was completed in 2018 for about R40-million. She said a separate budget was to be secured for the construction of the new high school but the education department instructed them to close the project in the 2019/20 financial year. The project was then handed back to the education department as no additional budget had been allocated. The school currently has 31 classrooms with more than 1,200 learners from grades 8 to 12. Out of the 31 classrooms, only five were built by the government. School Governing Body committee member Zifezile Dling-Dling told GroundUp that when the new primary school was built, the provincial Department of Education told them that they need to look for another site because the current site is not suitable for the construction of a new school. He said a site was then identified in Sigingqini, not far from the school but nothing has been done to date. 'This is very frustrating … We are left in the dark and our fear is that our classrooms are falling apart,' he said. Dling-Dling said that the poor state of the school has contributed to the decreasing attendance rates, particularly in winter. He said the department built 27 flush toilets in 2023, but the toilets aren't connected to water. Eastern Cape Department of Education spokesperson Vuyiseka Mboxela told GroundUp this week that they are still looking for a suitable site to build the new high school. 'The issue is not building the school but the land suitability for the construction of the school … In this case, we are engaging the school, community, SGB, and Ingquza Hill municipality.' Asked about the incomplete toilets built at the school two years ago, Mboxela said there were water issues beyond their control. 'The project was stopped because the municipality had no running water,' she said. Mboxela acknowledged that the department is waiting for the school to find another suitable location so they can resuscitate the project. This article first appeared on GroundUp. Read the original article here.
