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The DA in Dihlabeng Local Municipality has written to Eskom to request that the line that feeds electricity to the Saulspoort water treatment plant be exempted from loadshedding. The water emergency created by loadshedding has left some communities without water for more than 14 days.

The Saulspoort water treatment plant in Bethlehem provides water to Bethlehem, Bohlokong, Paul Roux, Rosendal and Fouriesburg. At current stages, Dihlabeng is experiencing between 10 and 12 hours of loadshedding a day, and without generators, the taps across the municipality have been left dry.

Toilets cannot be flushed and some communities have not had water for weeks. This is not only a major inconvenience but is turning into a health hazard as well as for some a life-or-death situation.

The DA considers this an emergency and has written to Eskom to exclude Saulspoort from loadshedding or at least keep it at a lower level of loadshedding to ensure continued water provision to a community that has been suffering and fighting for water and in reality some for their lives. Water is a basic human right, and this should be respected, irrelevant of the reason or motive behind loadshedding.

Issued by Willie Theunissen - DA Councillor Dihlabeng Local Municipality