Cape Town - People living in the informal settlement Facreton near Kensington say they constantly have to beg the City for water amid a pandemic, risking the lives of close to 1 000 members.
Community First leader Kevin Inglish said the community has been without water for a week, and when the water tanker eventually delivered it was half-full, leaving hundreds of residents still without water.
“People didn’t receive water for up to 12 days until the next delivery. Those people were sustained by the community, their families or had to pay for water. The issue at hand is that water is not delivered seven days a week, there’s inconsistent times of delivery, old and young people cannot carry those heavy 25kg drums of water, so they don't get enough water, whereas there is a water pipe running through the camp and they could give the people running water which will be cheaper and less problematic,” Inglish said.
He said there was no formal communication from the City, only “second-hand” information from the drivers delivering the water.
“The City says they (people living at Facreton) are there unlawfully even though some have been living there for over 20 years. It's lockdown and, to prevent the spread of Covid-19 and other diseases, hygiene is important. Besides they have a constitutional right to water.
“Without water you are creating a super-spreading situation because of a lack of personal hygiene. For over 50 years there (has been) housing built in the area, so where must those backyard dwellers go? The City should have intervened somehow and should not act in a inhumane way and say the people are there illegally, therefore I cannot give them water,” he said.
The chairperson for the area, Ilona Crouch, said while Facreton lacked water, an adjacent informal settlement was receiving water constantly.
“I run a soup kitchen, therefore I need to have enough water. Some of the ratepayers donate but most times it is not enough, forcing people to use the little that they have to buy water. Mind you, most people here do not work. When one has money they have to choose whether to buy food or water,” she said.
Inglish said the City and the ward councillor know that people are living there, and meetings were held to ask the City to give the demarcation for which the community is still waiting.
Mayco member for water and waste Xanthea Limberg said water was delivered to the community on February 22 and 27. She said the frequency of delivery was based on available resources to deliver water and that the City was trying its best to manage the process to ensure an equitable distribution of resources across all settlements.
Cape Argus