“Our view is that we should stop paying until such time as we have an uninterrupted water supply. If the supply is not continuous, it is not fair for us to pay,” the Makhado Concerned Group (MCG) told the mayor of the Makhado Municipality.

The group says that the frequent interruptions in the water supply results in poor meter readings.

“There are even readings of air, as confirmed by the technical director. The municipality has no means of separating the reading of the air flow compared to the water. We should stop paying,” the executive committee (exco) of the concerned group said.

The meeting with the mayor, Cllr David Mutavhatsindi, took place on 29 August. “The mayor mentioned the six new boreholes, but he had no information on the equipping of the boreholes or the connection to the mainline. We expected that he would call the technical director,” the chairperson of the MCG, Mr Lawrence Makatu, said after the meeting.  

That same evening, the group’s exco and some of their members met with a panel of the local AfriForum branch. “We are not going to be intimidated by politicians. It is our right to get services,” said exco member Mr John Madzhie at the meeting. He also referred to the electricity that is more expensive than in Thulamela and told the meeting that the mayor had promised that consumers would soon be able to buy pre-paid electricity from chain stores.

The concerned group and the local AfriForum branch have forged an alliance in their battle to get the services that they pay for. “Our rights are being abused by those in power,” Mr Dave Patel of AfriForum said. 

Concerning the MCG's view of non-payment until the water supply is continuous, Madzhie said that the mayor had told them to write a memorandum to Council in that regard. “The concerned group is mobilising residents to join in a march to hand over the memorandum,” said Makatu.

The group told the mayor that they would go to court. They support AfriForum in their legal actions.  “All parties agreed to meet again in two weeks' time to organise the march to the municipality,” Makatu said.