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"contents": "<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hundreds of frustrated Maokeng residents marched to the Moqhaka Local Municipality offices in Kroonstad, Free State, on Monday to demand an uninterrupted water supply.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to the community’s memorandum of demands, they want the municipality to install generators for water-supply equipment to alleviate problems with water distribution during rolling blackouts. They also want more housing allocations by June 2023, lower electricity tariffs, and for potholed roads to be fixed, among other issues.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Residents of Phomolong township say they have been battling water issues for more than 20 years. They rely on the municipality’s water tanks but say this service isn’t always reliable and they can go weeks without access to water. They then have to walk more than 2km to the nearest township, carrying heavy buckets filled with water.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“It’s been years that I’ve been struggling with water. I’ve been going to the municipality, but no one was willing to help,” said Josephine Malebatsi.</span>\r\n\r\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1531521\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GroundUp-FS-marchWater-2.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"540\" /> The protesters outside the municipal offices on Monday say they are fed-up with water and other service delivery problems. (Photo: Rethabile Nyelele)</p>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Since November many communities in Kroonstad have been receiving water sporadically.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">March organiser Themba May said representatives had talked to senior municipal officials in December “and they promised that everything was okay”. But “after two weeks the water and everything started collapsing”.</span>\r\n\r\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1531523\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GroundUp-FS-marchWater-map.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"549\" /> Source: Google Maps</p>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mayor Motloheloa Mokatsane accepted the protesters’ memorandum. Municipal spokesperson Dikwe Khwesa said: “Some of the issues highlighted are the basic municipal services and we are committed to respond within the timeframe… We are aware of places like Phomolong that have a history of non-supply of water. We have looked into the matter and a tender is currently out to try and address the infrastructure issue in that area.”</span>\r\n\r\n<i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Read in </span></i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Daily Maverick</span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: “</span></i><a href=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2023-01-16-day-zero-looms-dam-in-nelson-mandela-bay-at-lowest-level-yet/\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dam in Nelson Mandela Bay is at its lowest level yet</span></i></a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">”</span></i>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In response to complaints about severe water interruptions in December, Khwesa said unprecedented periods of Stage 4 and 6 rolling blackouts had affected the municipality’s water treatment and supply.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On 13 January, the Moqhaka Local Municipality’s request for key water plants to be exempted from power outages was approved. However, most communities are still without daily running water. </span><b>DM</b>\r\n\r\n<i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Originally published by </span></i><a href=\"https://www.groundup.org.za/article/hundreds-of-kroonstad-residents-march-for-municipality-to-fix-water-woes/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">GroundUp</span></a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.</span></i>\r\n\r\n<img loading=\"lazy\" style=\"display: none; width: 1px;\" src=\"https://thirdpartyhits.groundup.org.za/counter/hit/dailymaverick/2023-01-17-hundreds-of-kroonstad-residents-march-for-municipality-to-fix-water-woes/\" alt=\"\" />",
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"description": "<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hundreds of frustrated Maokeng residents marched to the Moqhaka Local Municipality offices in Kroonstad, Free State, on Monday to demand an uninterrupted water supply.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to the community’s memorandum of demands, they want the municipality to install generators for water-supply equipment to alleviate problems with water distribution during rolling blackouts. They also want more housing allocations by June 2023, lower electricity tariffs, and for potholed roads to be fixed, among other issues.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Residents of Phomolong township say they have been battling water issues for more than 20 years. They rely on the municipality’s water tanks but say this service isn’t always reliable and they can go weeks without access to water. They then have to walk more than 2km to the nearest township, carrying heavy buckets filled with water.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“It’s been years that I’ve been struggling with water. I’ve been going to the municipality, but no one was willing to help,” said Josephine Malebatsi.</span>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_1531521\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"720\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-1531521\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GroundUp-FS-marchWater-2.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"540\" /> The protesters outside the municipal offices on Monday say they are fed-up with water and other service delivery problems. (Photo: Rethabile Nyelele)[/caption]\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Since November many communities in Kroonstad have been receiving water sporadically.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">March organiser Themba May said representatives had talked to senior municipal officials in December “and they promised that everything was okay”. But “after two weeks the water and everything started collapsing”.</span>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_1531523\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"720\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-1531523\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GroundUp-FS-marchWater-map.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"549\" /> Source: Google Maps[/caption]\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mayor Motloheloa Mokatsane accepted the protesters’ memorandum. Municipal spokesperson Dikwe Khwesa said: “Some of the issues highlighted are the basic municipal services and we are committed to respond within the timeframe… We are aware of places like Phomolong that have a history of non-supply of water. We have looked into the matter and a tender is currently out to try and address the infrastructure issue in that area.”</span>\r\n\r\n<i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Read in </span></i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Daily Maverick</span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: “</span></i><a href=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2023-01-16-day-zero-looms-dam-in-nelson-mandela-bay-at-lowest-level-yet/\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dam in Nelson Mandela Bay is at its lowest level yet</span></i></a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">”</span></i>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In response to complaints about severe water interruptions in December, Khwesa said unprecedented periods of Stage 4 and 6 rolling blackouts had affected the municipality’s water treatment and supply.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On 13 January, the Moqhaka Local Municipality’s request for key water plants to be exempted from power outages was approved. However, most communities are still without daily running water. </span><b>DM</b>\r\n\r\n<i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Originally published by </span></i><a href=\"https://www.groundup.org.za/article/hundreds-of-kroonstad-residents-march-for-municipality-to-fix-water-woes/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">GroundUp</span></a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.</span></i>\r\n\r\n<img style=\"display: none; width: 1px;\" src=\"https://thirdpartyhits.groundup.org.za/counter/hit/dailymaverick/2023-01-17-hundreds-of-kroonstad-residents-march-for-municipality-to-fix-water-woes/\" alt=\"\" />",
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The protesters outside the municipal offices on Monday say they are fed-up with water and other service delivery problems. (Photo: Rethabile Nyelele)
Source: Google Maps