Madiba’s Birthplace Qunu Runs Dry, Residents Waiting for Water Supply and Complaining About Service Delivery

• Residents of Qunu have been complaining of an erratic water supply for years but are still waiting for service delivery
• Qunu residents are hopeful that their newly formed local municipality will finally grant their wish
• The last time that residents had stable, reliable service delivery was when Nelson Mandela was president

MTHATHA - Since 1994, when one of their own sons, Nelson Mandela, was elected president of South Africa, Qunu residents have been hoping to get running water in their community. They hoped that the result of the local government election would help them but they are still waiting.

In every election cycle, Qunu residents stress their need for access to running water to no avail. Their taps are erratic and have been for many years. The latest development is that they have been without running water for the last eight months.

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The reason for this is the local municipality defaulted on a payment to Eskom and then a valve in the water reservoir broke and has not been repaired. Currently, the community gets its water supply from a makeshift dam they dug themselves and share with animals in the area, News24 reports.

The water wait continues

Despite being let down in previous elections, the residents of Qunu remain hopeful that this might be the time when their wish for reliable access to water is finally granted by the ANC-ruled OR Tambo District Municipality.

According to City Press, Qunu has not had stable service delivery since Nelson Mandela's passing in 2013. Gebha Nkunzi, a resident of Qunu, says that most homes don't have water and he has to carry buckets to and from his house.

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"We are really in need of water in this area. It is dry. We have to beg people for water all the time or drink at the river with pigs and cattle," Nkunzi said.

Reactions to Qunu's water shortage

@naturesdrip believes:

"ANC don't care."

@SharonG17803808 said:

"It’s the whole country, not only there."

@UniqueSAProblem shared:

"If only we had a system that allowed us to vote incompetent, self-enriching governments who appear not to care about its people out of office."

@MargaretDinga said:

"Well, they got the government they voted for."

Voter apathy in Local Government Election hits ANC hard

Previously, Briefly News reported that the local government election saw the ANC lose their majority in many municipalities and districts, resulting in hung councils. Voter apathy is counted as one of the main reasons for this happening.

eNCA and market research company Ipsos conducted surveys before the election to gauge voters' opinions and who they support. According to the last survey, which was carried out the night before the election, less than 50% of South Africans who participated have faith in the ANC.

The surveys were conducted through the use of computer-assisted telephonic interviews (CATI) and only registered voters were approached. Therefore the opinions of those who choose not to register are not included.

Source: Briefly News