Once again residents of Laudium have highlighted the inefficiency of the ANC led Tshwane Metro Council and yet again it seems that Cllr Naeem Patel has no clue about the frustrations residents face each day concerning poor service delivery in the area.
What is also disturbing is that seemingly, Patel has been not upfront with the community in dealing with their concerns and instead seems to be merely issuing statements on social media, while sitting in his office or cutting birthday cakes with his ANC comrades, in the hope that the ANC would promote him and deploy him to one of the many cushy positions in government.
This follows residents in the 8th Avenue area of Laudium being deeply pained and frustrated, after witnessing the continuous wastage of seemingly clean water running out from the premises of the Laudium Swimming Pool, situated in their area.
Residents say that a huge amount of clean water being wasted every day, has been flowing down their street and into the street drains, despite them complaining to the Council and to Patel’s office for over a month. Furthermore, residents also said that when they tried to get info from the caretaker at the pools as to why the water was being wasted and whether that water was ‘tap water’ or water from the pool, they were met with an abrupt response, stating that they should call the Tshwane Council, to find out. However, Patel to this date has neither responded to the month-old water wastage complaints nor seemingly was even aware of the complaints, despite having a Ward Committee and being in ‘control’ of the so called Ward 61 Residents Association and the CPF Patrollers, who profess to be in touch at grassroots level, of the happenings in the area. Ironically, Patel instead issued a statement this past Wednesday (August 13) stating amongst others, “…the Laudium pool is a valuable resource for our community… due to the current water restrictions in Tshwane, Municipal pools are not permitted to operate. However, the [Tshwane Council] Department has submitted an application to have these restrictions lifted, which would allow the pool to open on Sept 1.”
Ismail Ansary, a resident of 8th Avenue, Laudium, told the Laudium Sun, “Clean water has been flowing down the drain on our street for over a month now. It’s coming directly from the swimming pool and they are fully aware of it. Each day, for about a month, I have seen large amounts of clean water being wasted, yet nothing is being done about it. I don’t understand why such a huge amount of water is being wasted, especially when Laudium is already facing a water shortage and there are water restrictions. It seems like the swimming pool management is completely ignoring the issue and no one is talking about it. It’s really sad. Councillor Patel always claimshe’s walking the streets and talking to people, but how has he or his team missed this? This kind of water wastage is unacceptable. The swimming pool staff act arrogantly when we try to question them. They don’t even bother to respond. All we wanted to know from them was whether there is a leak in the swimming pool or if the pool is cleaned on a daily basis, resulting in the water running down. Either way, how can the pool be cleaned or backwashed on a daily basis for a month, causing water to run like that? As we don’t know, we can only assume that it is clean water being wasted. This needs to stop. During a water crisis in Laudium, how can clean water from the swimming pool be allowed to just go to waste? We need answers from the manager of the swimming pool. They are getting paid to manage the facility, but nothing is being done. It’s unacceptable and needs urgent attention.”
Mukhtar Ahmed, also of 8th Avenue, Laudium, told the Laudium Sun, “This clean water running down the street is totally unacceptable. Firstly we need to know if this is water from a leaking swimming pool or from a leaking main water pipe. If it’s clean tap water, how can clean water be wasted like this with the full knowledge of the caretaker of the Laudium Swimming Pool? We are facing a serious water crisis in Laudium. Many residents don’t even have water, yet the swimming pool is wasting large amounts of clean water every single day. This is pure negligence and the caretaker of the swimming pool must be held accountable. We’re sick and tired of the bad attitude of the swimming pool staff. The Council needs to intervene and tell them to stop playing games with our water. It’s ridiculous. The amount of clean water flowing through the drains is unimaginable. What’s even more frustrating is that in summer, the swimming pool is often closed and we’re told it’s because there’s not enough clean water. So why are they now wasting so much of it? The community needs answers. We’re tired of these old, dirty tricks.”
Attempts to get a comment from the caretaker at the Laudium Swimming Pool were unsuccessful, but a security guard at the swimming pool, Zingwenya Mandelanga, told the Laudium Sun that he thinks the water running into the street is from the swimming pool and was not sure if there is a leak in the pool or whether the pool was merely being serviced.
Zingwenya Mandelanga, said he is not sure if there is a leak or if the pool is being serviced.
At the time of going to press, residents living in the area said that they have now noticed that the water has stopped running onto the street, but feel that they still want to know why the water was running and why they were not notified or given clarity on the situation.