By McGeorge Mbare
Beitbridge– The border town of Beitbridge has been gripped by an acute water shortages that has seen some residences going for two weeks without water.
As the taps run dry, the Municipality of Beitbridge has laid the blame on the doorstep of rate payers who are owing council millions of ZWG in unpaid water bills which is making difficult for council to honour its payments to ZINWA and facilitate constant water supply.
Speaking to Ziyah News Network, BeitBridge town council clerk, Loud Ramakgapola explains that nonpayment of water bills is affecting the amount of water supply to the residents.
“We prebuy water from ZINWA with the amount we have, if residents pay their bills in numbers that means, water supply will stabilize, our residents use approximately 6000 cubic per day making it 42000 per week. So residents should pay their water but they don’t pay in numbers which decreases the water supply” said Ramakgapola.
Ramakgapola emphasised that residents needs to pay their bills in time so that in the next payment, council can improve access of water for more few days to secure all the locations.
Some residents have raised concerns about the supply of water saying some areas places frequently access water whilst some don’t, however the town clerk highlighted that some places water take times to reach, which is a problem yet to be solved.
Elsewhere across the Limpopo , South Africa’s City of Tshwane ‘s water and Sanitation Department has temporarily shut down the Temba Water Treatment Plant ,which supplies water to Hammanskral and surrounding areas
According to SABC, the shutdown follows water quality challenges caused by last week ‘s power supply interruption at the Pyramid Substation due to fire.