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HEAVY LOAD: People walk long distances to get water. PHOTOS: Sowetan

FILTHY: Victor Claasen and his brother Zandar get water from a pipe connected to a fountain.

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Mpumalanga municipal authorities have been ordered by the Pretoria High Court to provide temporary water for the town of Carolina, north of Ermelo.

Judge Moses Mavundla granted an urgent application by the Federation for a Sustainable Environment (FSE) and the Sibolela Concerned Community (SCC), ordering the Gert Sibanda District Municipality to provide Carolina residents with drinkable water within 72 hours.

Furthermore, the municipality must provide a minimum of 25 litres of drinkable water per person per day.

The municipality’s mayor and manager were also ordered to engage with the FSE and SCC about restoring the water supply in the town.

A plan needed to be devised as to where, when and what volume of water would be provided in the interim.

The court ordered the municipality to provide it with a report within a month, detailing progress made to ensure drinkable water was supplied to Carolina.

Mavundla said the case related to residents’ basic right of access to water.

“I am of the view that, when fundamentally entrenched rights are violated or compromised... the matter intrinsically becomes urgent,” he said.

Mavundla said it was not disputed the water in the area was polluted and the municipality’s assurance that the water would be declared safe by June was in fact not the case.

Residents had been drinking polluted water since the municipal water supply was declared unfit for consumption in January.

Coal mines in the area apparently caused the pollution.

Comments

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Sat May 18 22:04:08 SAST 2013 ::

Jul 10, 2012

DA-DBN-GUY

I think this is the way forward. Communities shouldnt protest and destroy they should exercise their democratic right and sue their municipalities. This way they will have to spend our money on providing the services they already promise every year and wont be able to syphon the coffers dry. BIG up to the community in question!
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Jul 10, 2012

hulas

Said day for democratically elected government.Now people are forced to take their own government in order to get basic service.This is a disgrace and a spit on the grave of freedom fighters.
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Jul 10, 2012

mporoza

ANC government is a disgrace, taken to court to give people clean water, sis maan!!
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Jul 10, 2012

1andonlybucs

dont you think its a lottle too late? there is still a lot to be done in this country, especially in rural areas.. the govenment should make these area their number one priority!!! develop ryral areas, create jobs there, rejuvanate the areas.. the money is there. but these cats keep on growing fat each day!! what about the voters? what a disgrace of leaders we have!!!!!!!!
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Jul 10, 2012

Sandile84

Heiwena Sowetan, why did you remove my post??? Why???
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Jul 10, 2012

Tshitwedza_mutweni

This is a new trend for our beloved movement. Service delivery is done by Judges. Books in Limpopo, water in Mpumalanga. Amandla, no Amanga! Eish!!
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