5 Morgan residents demand their borehole machine back
Dindela
Twenty eight years in democracy, hundreds of people from 5 Morgan Dindela section within Elias Motsoaledi Local Municipality (EMLM) under Sekhukhune District Municipality (SDM) continues to suffer from poor water.
These residents had always lived with challenges of drinking unclean water for the past years.
But what worsened their situation was when three SDM officials removed their working water pump from their borehole for no apparent reasons back in 2018.
Since then the community has suffered the consequences and are forced to collect unclean water at a nearby stream where also traditional healers perform their rituals.
Community members claimed that every time when they appeal for intervention from SDM they are being told that the district doesn’t have enough budgets.
They explained what happened the day their borehole machine was removed
“We recall that day very well, three SDM officials (two women and one man) arrived and removed the machine and we hesitated to ask them why and they said the machine was in need of a service.
“But we told them that the machine was working fine and then they said we can’t teach them how to do their work. And we wanted them to assure us that we will not experience water crisis again but they didn’t entertain us.
Attempts to get their machine back were unsuccessful, said residents.
In replacing working borehole machine, the municipality installed electrical box supply for the borehole but till today it is not working.
Residents seems that as a bribe adding that then municipality installed that box merely after they threatened to take the matter into their own hands.
They describes installed box on a pole as a toy which puts lives of their children at risk.
“Is not working which is why we are calling it a toy,” briefed residents.
They are also questioning the contractor who installed the box on a pole in which children can reach.
Two weeks back they hosted a community meeting and resolved to visit SDM District satellite offices In Uitspanning.
Community went there demanding the return of their borehole pump.
