Residents of Kokosi township near Fochville are demanding immediate action and accountability from the Merafong Local Municipality as they endure a devastating water outage that has stretched for over a month. The crisis stems from a massive debt owed to the national water utility, which has triggered severe supply restrictions.
The root of the problem is a R1.4 billion debt the Merafong Municipality owes to Rand Water. As a consequence, the utility has imposed a 40% reduction in bulk water supply to the municipality, crippling its ability to provide water to residents.
The human impact of the crisis is severe. With taps running dry, community members have been forced to seek water from alternative sources. Many are now reliant on a borehole owned by a local business owner, while the elderly and frail are seen carrying buckets of water from distant locations.
Frustration is boiling over among community leaders, who are threatening to take decisive action against the local government. A community representative issued a stark warning, stating a meeting would be held to decide on a course of action.
“We are organizing ourselves as stakeholders tomorrow… if tomorrow we are not going to get the water, we don’t have any choice but to stand up and to unite ourselves,” the leader said. “We can’t even drink water. We can’t do anything. What about people who are getting sick now?”
In response to the crisis, the Merafong Municipality has offered a defense. Municipal spokesperson, [Note: The transcript does not contain the name of the spokesperson. This line would need to be updated if the name is known or removed if it is not provided], claimed the issue is not due to financial mismanagement but rather a lack of payment from its own customers.
The spokesperson stated that while Rand Water bills the municipality approximately R350 million, it only collects around R100 million from paying customers, citing that a majority of its customers are non-paying. The official confirmed that the municipality has made recent payments to Rand Water, including R130 million from its own coffers and an additional R50 million at the start of July, in an effort to service the debt.
The municipality says it is engaging with Rand Water and the provincial government to find a lasting solution. In the interim, the municipality confirmed that water tankers are being provided to the affected areas. A repayment plan is also being negotiated with Rand Water with the help of the National Treasury in hopes of restoring full supply.
For now, the people of Kokosi remain without a reliable water source, awaiting a permanent resolution to the crisis that has upended their daily lives.
