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As Kimberley residents, desperate for water, have apparently taken to hijacking water trucks, the Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Northern Cape is calling on Sol Plaatje municipality, in conjunction with the Provincial and National Disaster Management Centers, to declare the water situation in Kimberley a local disaster.

While some residents have had intermittent water in their taps, there are others who have not had a drop of water for between five and 14 days and counting.

While water trucks are servicing communities, water supply fails to meet demand. People therefore push and fight to get their containers filled.

On at least two occasions that the DA is aware of, once in the Greenpoint area and the other in the farming area on the other side of the 3SAI Army Base, community members swooped on water tankers that were en route to other locations, helping themselves to water.

The water situation is clearly out of control. People are in frantic need of water. It is time that Sol Plaatje acknowledges they have a disaster on their hands.

Sol Plaatje clearly needs help to restore water provision to all communities in and around Kimberley in a sustainable manner, and also to supply additional volumes of water to those in need.

The municipality also needs help effecting its water contingency plans in the midst of this crisis. It must therefore urgently engage with the South African Police Force (SAPS) to request police accompaniment of the water trucks. We cannot tolerate a situation whereby drivers are placed in danger, and whereby certain communities are disadvantaged because water tankers never reach them.

Furthermore, in instances where communities do have access to tankers, the process is so chaotic that not everyone gets a fair chance at filling up their containers. The level of desperation for water has also seen communities abandon Covid-19 regulations, giving rise to the additional risk that the use of water access points could turn into super-spreader events. Water supply via tankers therefore needs to be guided by a safe and orderly process.

Issued by The DA