As if having to contend with load shedding has not been enough of a nuisance, residents in Louis Trichardt now also have to cope with water shedding.

What this basically entails is that the municipal water supply to certain parts of town will be disrupted during specific parts of the day. This annoying step by the municipality was necessitated by the fact that some residents in town have refused to adhere to the water restrictions already in place, thereby reducing the water levels in the reservoirs to such an extent that they run dry. No municipal water may be used for anything other than domestic use, i.e. the normal, everyday use in the household, such as washing up, ablutions and doing the laundry. No gardens may be watered with a hosepipe or swimming pools filled with municipal water. A watering can or bucket may be used to water gardens.

The restrictions have been in place for quite a while now, but some people still refuse to abide by them. The result is that the whole town is now suffering from the reduced levels in the reservoirs. The water supply will be disrupted daily between 13:00 and 17:00 and between 21:30 and 04:30. The director of technical services at the municipality, Mr Freddy Mamuremi, issued notices this week in which residents of the whole Makhado Municipality are requested once again to adhere to the restrictions. Failure to do so will result in a penalty for the perpetrator, according to the by-laws of the municipality. As a result of their non-adherence to the restrictions, some residents’ water supply was cut off by a municipal official over the weekend. Municipal workers also drove around identifying homes and taking photos of people using municipal water to water their gardens. A total of 64 houses were identified and the owners might be receiving fines if the Makhado Council decides that these perpetrators should be prosecuted.