Tensions are high in Parys in the Free State, where frustrated residents of Tumahole township have shut the town down in a protest for clean running water, which residents say they haven’t had in eight months.

According to community member Tshepo Naale, the problems in Parys started in June of 2022 and continued into 2023 when the first shutdown happened.  

 “After the first shutdown, the provincial government brought us Jojo tanks which only decorated the town instead of providing us with clean water.  We have had similar stand-offs since 2022 and we have warned the municipality that the water crisis may lead to unrest, they did not listen,” says Naale.

He adds that the tanks were rarely filled with water,  even those in clinics,  making it hard for health facilities to operate. “We decided to shut everything down including clinics because the same clinics stay closed, there’s no water in Parys,” he adds.

No health services

Tseko Masimong, a member of the Tumahole clinic committee, says the lack of clean water in the area has caused many people to use private medical services. “You can imagine the poor who can’t pay for services, they suffer a double blow of water and of the continued closure of the facility due to water unavailability,” he says.

Patients at the clinic also support the protest. Lebohang Sotyu lives with HIV, she says it is hard to take medication without water. “We have long been suffering in Parys without water. How do they expect us to take medication?”

Daniel Molorane, who has diabetes, says that even when the tanks are filled, the water is not clean and makes them sick. “We are always stressed about whether the tanks will be filled or not. They filled them for one day when the ANC celebrated their birthday in Parys and after that, we were left to die of thirst,” he says.

However, the provincial health department has called on the community not to close down the clinics. “We acknowledge the continuing water crisis in the area and we will find out from the municipality on measures taken to provide water at all of the facilities,” says spokesperson, Mondli Mvambi.

Civil society support

Civil society organisations,  Inyanda National Land Movement and the Trust for Community Outreach and Education (TCOE), have come out in support of the protestors but spoke against the destruction of property. 

“The Inyanda National Movement stands in solidarity with the community that has exercised its constitutional right to protest as the water shortage in Parys is a violation of the residents’ constitutional right. However, during the protest and the shutdown of the water supply, a municipal building and the house of the mayor’s mother were set on fire. As a non-violent movement, we reject violence that destroys infrastructure and poses a threat to life,” says Moipone Jwai, national chairperson of the Inyanda National Land Movement.

She adds that the municipality and provincial government have not kept to the promises made in 2022 and 2023 during the first shutdown.

 “Given the importance of water to life and health, the failure of the state to fulfil its constitutional mandate to provide safe drinking water is a form of violence against the community. We also condemn the use of force by the police in response to the protests of frustrated people. This is an inhumane response by the state to the understandable anger of citizens whose pleas for a regular supply of clean water have gone unheard for far too long,” says Jwayi, 

The National Treasury’s austerity plans, which include deep budget cuts to basic services, have left many municipalities without the funds to repair key infrastructure. 

“Austerity measures combined with a lack of good governance, corruption and the use of people who do not have the necessary expertise to carry out critical tasks have left communities in dire straits,” says Aaron Ranayeke of TCOE.

“The people of Tumahole strongly believe that the Ngwathe municipality is not only corrupt, but also lacks the capacity and expertise to ensure water supply,” adds Ranayeke.

Organisers have vowed to intensify the protest if their demands aren’t met by Monday. – Health-e News