“Tired of struggling for water”, read a headline in The Herald earlier this week.
The article highlighted the plight of Moeggesukkel — ironically, translated it means tired of struggling — who have been battling to access water in the Bethelsdrop informal settlement in Nelson Mandela Bay for nearly a year.
This is despite multiple attempts to alert the municipality.
About 1.5-million litres of water are being lost every month from a burst pipe.
As a result, standpipes no longer function and residents collect water directly from the muddy pool around the ruptured pipe, which is also used by wandering dogs and livestock.
The glaring violation of the right to access sufficient water as set out in the SA constitution aside, this also exposes residents to illness and diseases.
Resident Monica Daniels said they used to access water from three standpipes until the pipe broke in November. Now, they fill up buckets and bottles at the pipe.
“We try to boil the water first and throw in salt, but the children still get sick with gastro.
“We contacted the municipality many times to tell them about the situation, but they never came to fix the pipe. It’s not right.”
Moeggesukkel is but one community where residents are tired of struggling.
Their plight with water is but one of many problems faced by communities across SA every day.
Nelson Mandela Bay is moeg gesukkel, South Africans are moeg gesukkel.
We are tired of dodging potholes.
We are tired of planning our lives around the availability of electricity.
We are tired of living our lives in fear, being held to ransom by criminals.
It has been nearly a year, too, since the last local government elections and while national elections are still a way off, those responsible for service delivery need to not just think about promises made to residents, but act on them.
Those living in SA cannot continue to do so living on promises.
Today, tired of struggling to access water. Tomorrow, tired of supporting — and putting in power — those who fail us.
HeraldLIVE