Although the Northern Cape recorded above average rainfall in the past month, the Democratic Alliance (DA) in Ritchie are working overtime to offset the impact of an avoidable water shortage engulfing the communities of Ritchie, Modderrivier, Rietvale, and Motswedimosa.
This man-made drought began on Saturday 26 April, when high water levels damaged an electrical cable connected to the abstraction pump drawing water meant for the community from the Riet River. Officials at Ritchie’s Waterworks Department cannot commit to a timeframe for repairs, as diving teams from the South African Police Services (SAPS) deems the area where the pump needs to be installed too dangerous to recover and repair the necessary components.
Myself and DA councillor, Willie Erasmus, are now collecting containers to fill with clean borehole water and distributing it to households in need until such time as municipal water supply is restored. Municipal trucks with space for three JoJo tanks are ferrying one JoJo tank at a time from Kimberley and, while it stopped in Rietvale and Motswedimosa, it has not brought water to Ritchie or Modderrivier yet. It also seems as though the ANC-affiliated ward committee members refuse to distribute water to anyone who is suspected of not voting for the ANC.
The situation is characteristic of a careless, reckless administration that fails to learn valuable lessons from past mistakes. I’ve already cautioned the municipal manager and senior management at the start of the month that high water levels could disrupt municipal water supply. In December 2023, high water levels damaged equipment at Riverton Waterworks and created a dry Christmas season for Kimberley residents.
The DA will refer the matter to MPAC, including a request for officials to be held liable for the expenditure incurred in ferrying water to selected community members. Water is a basic right, not a privilege. It is unthinkable that gross municipal negligence leaves residents without water when the major rivers feeding our dams are bursting their banks.