No water for 10 families: tug of war over land
2009-08-27
TEN families have been without water for more than two weeks, after their employer stopped paying the electricity bill. This means that the water supply to their homes from a borehole nearby, has also stopped. The workers, employees of Afrimat, work on the stone quarry in the Kliprug area adjoining Pearl Valley estate. According to a spokesperson for Afrimat, Hylton Hale, the land was sold to Pearl Valley nearly a decade ago. He said that Afrimat had not had any contractual link with the land since December 2007. “We gave the workers notice repeatedly that they need to vacate the property, as the land has been sold to Pearl Valley, but the workers have not found alternative accommodation. “We have met with the Deputy Mayor of Drakenstein and councillors in an effort to obtain alternative lodgings for the workers, but nothing has materialised. “We are no longer responsible for the land or its inhabitants, and no longer pay any bills relating to the land, as we are not the owners.” When Pearl Valley was contacted regarding the plight of the workers, spokesperson Conrad Harley said that the supply of water and electricity to the workers’ homes was the responsibility of the employer. “The Kliprug property has been and continues to be under the control of Afrimat operating stone crushing and related activities of rehabilitation of mined land. “Afrimat is responsible for the electricity as the connection from Drakenstein Municipality is in the name and control of Afrimat, for the staff in Afrimat’s employ on the property.” According to Lindie van der Merwe, who has been living on the land for ten years, they had no warning that their electricity would be cut off. “No one came to inform us about this and we had no time to take precautions. “We have to wash in dirty water with tadpoles in it, because the borehole pump stopped working, and we have to drive to neighbouring farms or to town to get clean water to drink and cook with.” Van der Merwe said that they have also suffered some losses with food that had turned rotten and milk that had turned sour. “We couldn’t go to the toilet and women and children had to make use of the bushes - it is very unsafe. We are all human beings and to have to go into the bushes to use the toilet is unacceptable,” she said. She also said that during the day the women who did not work, had to collect firewood so that they could cook. Added another worker, Pierre Louw, “We don’t know what the future is, as no one communicates with us. “Last year they said we must move, but where to? “We haven’t applied for municipal houses, because we have lived here for years. “Some of these people have lived here for more than ten years - don’t they have any rights? “They offered us about R100 000 per family, but where do you find a house for R100 000?” said Louw. Following enquiries from Paarl Post, Afrimat has undertaken to deliver water to the homes of the workers, until a solution has been found to the stalemate. On Monday evening, after enquiries from Paarl Post, the electricity supply was switched on again by the Municipality. Who is going to pay for the backlog on the electricity account, only time will tell.
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