For the umpteenth time, Louis Trichardt residents have been left without water for days on end.

Since last Friday, residents have been without running water – something that has by now become a luxury in town instead of a basic human right.

The water supply was cut without any warning, leaving many residents scrambling for water or queuing at water suppliers. Questions and enquiries by the public about the cause of the problem were allegedly also met with aggression and rudeness from the municipality’s side. By Monday afternoon, the municipality had apparently reverted to  just not answering their phones anymore. 

Even the Zoutpansberger had to get into the fighting ring, having to wait almost two days for an official response from municipal spokesperson Mr Louis Bobodi about the cause of the problem.

In the meantime, rumours started doing the rounds that it was the municipality’s own employees who had sabotaged the water infrastructure out of protest over internal politics, with law-abiding residents being held hostage in the process and having to pay the price.

One such rumour was that members of the South African Municipal Workers Union (SAMWU) and Independent Municipal and Allied Trade Union (Imathu) had gone on strike, following a meeting between them and the municipality’s top management last Thursday with regard to overtime payment. (See article on P6).

Asked directly if workers were indeed on strike, Bobodi vehemently denied any such allegations.

“They [SAMWU & IMATU] are only having discussions with management,” said Bobodi. Evidence, however, suggests otherwise. Numerous reports were received that the workers were indeed striking, constituting an illegal strike. The appointment of outside contractors to help restore the water supply also suggests that municipal workers were on strike. The municipality’s failure to remove refuse from homes and businesses the past week was further evidence of a strike.

Bobodi also denied rumours that SAMWU and IMATU members had sabotaged municipal infrastructure, although he confirmed that 10 municipal boreholes had been vandalised and cables stolen. This was given as the reason why the water supply was interupted. Asked whether this had been reported to the police, Bobodi said: “I’m not sure, I don’t want to lie.” Local police spokesperson Capt Maano Sadike confirmed on Wednesday, however,  that no such report was received from the municipality, begging the question why not.

By Tuesday, Bobodi was also unable to indicate when full water supply will be restored. In his response, he did indicate that emergency water supply tankers were deployed around town at strategic points to help alleviate the water crisis. Asked exactly where these tankers could be found, Bobodi replied: “I’m not familiar with the exact spot, but people know where they [tankers] are”.

On the up side of things, it was reported that the water supply to some parts of town was restored by late Tuesday afternoon.