Kinross residents fed up of poor water supply system

Byline: Refeloe Letsoisa

20 May 2024

Frustrated residents of Kinross closed the R547 and R29 four-way intersection with burning tyres and stones on Monday, 13 May 2024.

This follows the low water supply system in Kinross, whereby certain areas receive water on a daily basis and some areas do not receive water at all.

“I remember coming to Kinross 2 to 3 years ago about the same issue, and I consulted the officials about it, and I was informed that the pipes are small.

We went back and formed a budget worth fourty-two million rand (R42 000 000.00) for the two new pipeline projects, which we all see today,” said Executive Mayor Cllr Nhlakanipho Zuma while addressing the residents of Kinross.

He further stated that he was shocked to hear that some areas in Kinross did not have water for eleven (11) days.

Protesters, most of them being youth, demanded to see the Thistle Grove water reservoir, and Cllr. Zuma agreed.

“I am very disappointed and shocked by the state of this reservoir, but I still promise that the water issue will be permanently resolved by the end of today,” said Cllr. Zuma after viewing and identifying issues at the reservoir.

Residents were concerned about the high service bills while the water supply was low.

In closing, the Executive Mayor, Cllr. Zuma, requested that the Municipal Manager, Mr Elliot Maseko, hire a private investigator and launch an investigation regarding the issues discovered at the Thistle Grove water reservoir.

The promise of the water crisis being resolved was unfulfilled, and residents of Kinross continued with the protest on Wednesday morning, 15 May 2024.