The Bushbuckridge municipality owes about R260m to the water board, the Mpumalanga department of co-operative governance said on Tuesday. The municipality has already begun paying the debt and has entered into a service level agreement with the water board, the department said in a statement. [The municipality] started paying R5m a month over and above the normal monthly tariff in an attempt to reduce or settle the alleged debt. It was this debt owed to the Bushbuckridge Water Board which had led to water supply challenges in the area, it said. The affected villages were Lillydale, Casteel, Acornhoek and Hluvukani. In May, Lillydale residents protested over drinking water in the area which had been found unfit for human consumption. Nine people were arrested after the protesters torched municipal offices and a grader. According to the 2012 Blue Drop Report, the water of 14 municipalities, including Bushbuckridge, did not meet government standards.
Posted on: Thu, 23 Jan 2014 18:35:42 +0000
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