The people of Bushbuckridge have waited long enough for a reliable and dignified water supply.
Across our communities, residents continue to experience unreliable water services, while the municipality struggles with ageing infrastructure, leaks, illegal connections and vandalism of essential water infrastructure.
This is not simply a technical problem. It is a governance failure.
The municipality’s own planning documents acknowledge that water supply remains unreliable, with communities experiencing periods where taps run dry for days. Recent reporting has also highlighted water losses of approximately 70%, with widespread leaks and illegal connections costing the municipality millions of rand.
The question residents are entitled to ask is simple: how can a municipality continue losing such enormous volumes of water while families are forced to live without a reliable supply?
And while vandalism and illegal connections must be confronted, they cannot become a permanent excuse for government failure. Municipal infrastructure must be protected, maintained and properly managed.
The consequences extend beyond not having water in the tap.
Without reliable water, households struggle with basic hygiene and sanitation. Parents are forced to find alternative sources, placing an additional financial burden on families already struggling with the cost of living. Businesses, schools, clinics and other public facilities also cannot function properly without dependable water.
This is unacceptable.
As ActionSA’s mayoral candidate for Bushbuckridge, I am therefore calling for an immediate Bushbuckridge Water Recovery Plan.
This plan must include:
- An urgent audit of all major water infrastructure, pipelines, boreholes, reservoirs and treatment facilities;
- A programme to identify and repair major leaks and water-loss points;
- Immediate action against illegal connections and the theft and vandalism of municipal infrastructure;
- A transparent assessment of the municipality’s reported water losses, including where the losses are occurring;
- Clear deadlines for restoring reliable water supply to communities currently experiencing prolonged interruptions; and
- Monthly public reporting on progress, expenditure and outstanding water challenges.
Residents must not be told simply to wait.
They deserve to know what is broken, who is responsible, what it will cost to fix and when it will be fixed.
I will also call for regular public engagements in affected communities so that residents can receive information directly from the municipality and hold officials accountable for commitments made.
We cannot continue normalising failure.
Bushbuckridge does not need another election promise that disappears after voting day. It needs leadership prepared to take responsibility and deliver measurable results.
On 4 November, residents have an opportunity to choose a different direction.
ActionSA is ready to provide leadership that listens, takes responsibility and delivers.
Bushbuckridge deserves water. Bushbuckridge deserves accountability.
Bushbuckridge’s Water Crisis Is a Governance Failure, Not an Act of Nature
The people of Bushbuckridge have waited long enough for a reliable and dignified water supply.
Across our communities, residents continue to experience unreliable water services, while the municipality struggles with ageing infrastructure, leaks, illegal connections and vandalism of essential water infrastructure.
This is not simply a technical problem. It is a governance failure.
The municipality’s own planning documents acknowledge that water supply remains unreliable, with communities experiencing periods where taps run dry for days. Recent reporting has also highlighted water losses of approximately 70%, with widespread leaks and illegal connections costing the municipality millions of rand.
The question residents are entitled to ask is simple: how can a municipality continue losing such enormous volumes of water while families are forced to live without a reliable supply?
And while vandalism and illegal connections must be confronted, they cannot become a permanent excuse for government failure. Municipal infrastructure must be protected, maintained and properly managed.
The consequences extend beyond not having water in the tap.
Without reliable water, households struggle with basic hygiene and sanitation. Parents are forced to find alternative sources, placing an additional financial burden on families already struggling with the cost of living. Businesses, schools, clinics and other public facilities also cannot function properly without dependable water.
This is unacceptable.
As ActionSA’s mayoral candidate for Bushbuckridge, I am therefore calling for an immediate Bushbuckridge Water Recovery Plan.
This plan must include:
Residents must not be told simply to wait.
They deserve to know what is broken, who is responsible, what it will cost to fix and when it will be fixed.
I will also call for regular public engagements in affected communities so that residents can receive information directly from the municipality and hold officials accountable for commitments made.
We cannot continue normalising failure.
Bushbuckridge does not need another election promise that disappears after voting day. It needs leadership prepared to take responsibility and deliver measurable results.
On 4 November, residents have an opportunity to choose a different direction.
ActionSA is ready to provide leadership that listens, takes responsibility and delivers.
Bushbuckridge deserves water. Bushbuckridge deserves accountability.