HUNDREDS of Cape Town shack dwellers have been without water for a month after a city bulldozer damaged a water pipe.
More than 100 families in Kosovo's Section A in Samora Machel, Philippi, say they spent the festive season buying water from neighbouring areas.
The water pipe to the area was hacked open by mistake by a City of Cape Town Solid Waste bulldozer that was removing garbage from the area before Christmas.
Community leader Vuyolwethu Mqadi said residents have made countless calls to the local municipal office - Fezeka in Gugulethu - to fix the pipe to no avail.
Residents say they spend hours queueing for water.
"Some people charge us R5 per bucket," said resident Nophelo Dubha.
The mother of three said she had a 1-year-old baby and she needed water to cook and wash the baby's clothes daily.
Another resident Wandile Magadla described the situation as bad.
"In this section we don't have proper roads, electricity or toilets. We are using bucket system toilets and now the situation has deteriorated again, there is no water."
Magadla said every summer there are shack fires in the area and without water, there would be no way to put out the fires.
Local municipal spokesperson Chris Khatshwa said he would contact water works to fix the problem.
Bulldozer leaves shack dwellers without water
HUNDREDS of Cape Town shack dwellers have been without water for a month after a city bulldozer damaged a water pipe.
More than 100 families in Kosovo's Section A in Samora Machel, Philippi, say they spent the festive season buying water from neighbouring areas.
The water pipe to the area was hacked open by mistake by a City of Cape Town Solid Waste bulldozer that was removing garbage from the area before Christmas.
Community leader Vuyolwethu Mqadi said residents have made countless calls to the local municipal office - Fezeka in Gugulethu - to fix the pipe to no avail.
Residents say they spend hours queueing for water.
"Some people charge us R5 per bucket," said resident Nophelo Dubha.
The mother of three said she had a 1-year-old baby and she needed water to cook and wash the baby's clothes daily.
Another resident Wandile Magadla described the situation as bad.
"In this section we don't have proper roads, electricity or toilets. We are using bucket system toilets and now the situation has deteriorated again, there is no water."
Magadla said every summer there are shack fires in the area and without water, there would be no way to put out the fires.
Local municipal spokesperson Chris Khatshwa said he would contact water works to fix the problem.
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