There is chaos at the reservoir by the mountainside in Mamelodi.
This as the reservoir, which is the proper of the City of Tshwane, has apparently been abandoned.
There is no gate which can be locked to complement the parameter fence around the reservoir, no security guards on duty to control or discourage access to the reservoir, and to make matters worse, there is no lid to cover the reservoir so as to prevent unwanted particles to get into the water.
The place is also crying out for maintenance as evidenced by the shrubs and talk grasses that have grown around the reservoir.
The said reservoir is designed to provide potable water to the residents of Mamelodi but the municipality obviously doesn’t regard the eradication of the chaos there as a top priority in its “to do list.”
Tshwane Talks was alerted to the chaotic situation at the reservoir by members of the EFF branch in Mamelodi earlier this week.
“A reservoir is a very sensitive place and requires security, but when we arrived here, we found no security guards, there is no gate and some members of the community who live near the reservoir do their washing there without considering the health risk that their activities may pose to the residents of Mamelodi who consume the water that is inside the reservoir,” said EFF Sub-Regional leader Bongani Ramontja.
“This scenario is an indication of the fact that the municipality is neglecting the people of Mamelodi and there is no maintenance here, hence the tall grasses and shrubs around the reservoir,” lamented Ramontja.
“The is no lid to cover the reservoir and it is wide-open and any evil poison can easily go up there and pour poison into the reservoir, resulting in a massacre in Mamelodi,’ he said.
“We therefore need to be careful and sensitive towards the reservoir,” said Ramontja.
He pointed out that the reservoir doesn’t supply water to areas of Mamelodi like Phomolong, Ikageng, Phase 3 and Phase 4 haven’t had water in their households for over five years now.
“We are asking the DA and ActionSA alliance as to why they are not taking the people of Mamelodi seriously because water is a basic need,” he said.
“We want the municipality to give us answers as to why there are no security guards at the reservoir, and why children are allowed to play at the reservoir with the risk of them galling into it,” complained Ramontja.
Mpho Moloko of Extension 6 told Tshwane that the uncovered lid gives him sleepless nights as the water therein might be contaminated.
“I am appealing to the City of Tshwane Mayor Cilliers Brink to bring security to the reservoir and stop treating us like animals just because we different with him in terms of skin colour,” said Moloko.
He said nyaope addicts have turned the reservoir into their own property and we’re doing as they wished there.
He revealed that at Extension 6 where he lives, water tankers haven’t been around to supply water to residents for five days now.
“Human Rights lawyers must intervene because we as residents have been trying to highlight our plight to the municipality without success,” he said.
The City of Tshwane acknowledged the aforesaid concerns of the community via a statement that reads as follows:
“Water supply challenges in the said areas is due to illegal connections at the R4 reservoir and fencing off of the parameter of the reservoir was completed a few weeks ago, and the City is currently finalising the deployment of security personnel onsite.”
“All maintenance-related issues will resume once the deployment of security personnel has been finalised,” read the statement in conclusion.
Be that as it may, the City of Tshwane has up to now failed to respond or comment on why there is no lid at the reservoir and how this matter was going to be rectified.
It also failed to respond or comment as to why the municipality continued to bill residents of sections like Ikageng for water even though there is no water coming into their households.