The JB Marks Municipality’s failure is the direct cause of the blocking of the N12 by frustrated residents of Ikageng in Potchefstroom, who have been without water for three weeks.
The problems with water supply to the Ikageng, Mohadin and Promosa residential areas arose due to the lack of maintenance of the water supply network.
In addition to its poor maintenance of critical infrastructure, the Municipality clearly also does not have a contingency plan in place to effectively and timeously provide services in cases where infrastructure fails.
There are not enough water tanks in working order to temporarily alleviate the water shortage in these areas.
The Municipality, furthermore, does not have the necessary equipment and inventory to do emergency repair work, and must follow tedious procurement processes to appoint contractors who can do the work. All this while many municipal officials in technical services have nothing to do.
Meanwhile, not only is the Potchefstroom community affected by the blocking of this national main route, but also travelers and businesspeople from across the country.
Motorists have no choice but to take long detours to reach their destinations safely. Road users are suffering great financial losses in the process, and scarce police resources had to be deployed to keep the situation under control while crime flourishes elsewhere.
The N12 and other main routes in the North West are frequently blocked by protest actions brought on by the ANC-controlled municipalities’ poor service delivery.
The mismanagement and decay of infrastructure in these ANC-municipalities pose the single biggest threat to the North West’s economy.
The FF Plus remains in contact with the local authorities and will keep applying pressure to ensure that the issue is resolved as soon as possible.
The people of the North West deserve better than the ANC.
Read the original article in Afrikaans by Fanie du Toit on FF Plus
