Ipikethi echasene “nocalucalulo lwamanzi”
Kukho amanzi aneleyo-ingxaki kukwabiwa, utsho umqhankqalazi
Abantu abaninzi baqhankqalaze ngaphandle kweCape Town Civic Centre ngentsasa yangoLwesine besithi “kupheliswe ucalucalulo”.
Abaqhankqalazi bebenemfuno ezininzi eziquka izixhobo zolawulo lwamanzi ezifakwe ngumasipala kumakhaya abo. Oku kunciphisa ubungakanani bamanzi aphuma etephini xa ikhaya ligqithile kwisibonelelo salo. Oku kwaziwa njengenkqubo yokuthontsiza.
Aba baphithi bakwamemelele ukuba isiXeko saseKapa siyeke ukutsala amanzi angekahlawulwa kwiintengo zombane kwaye isiXeko silungise imibhobho eyophukileyo kunye nemisele evalekileyo.
“Xa kwathatyathwa umhlaba, amanzi athatyathwa. Umhlaba awuzange ubuyiselwe. Amanzi akabuyiselwanga,” utshilo uKoni Benson weAfrican Water Commons Collective, iqela lamatshantliziyo lamanzi neliququzelele uqhanqalazo.
U-Benson uthe ukususela ngo-1994 amanzi aye athengiswa kwaye abantu abangenayo imali abanakho ukufikelela kwinto “ilungelo loluntu elisisiseko”. Ubange ngelithi abo basweleyo abafumani manzi aneleyo kwaye isiXeko asibuthatheli ngqalelo ubungakanani beentsapho kwipropati.
“Yingxaki yezopolitiko, hayi ukusilela komntu,” utshilo uBenson. Wathi anele amanzi, kodwa ingxaki kulwabiwo. UBenson uthe isiXeko akufuneki sijolise kwabo basweleyo kodwa kumakhaya azizityebi kunye namaqumrhu.
Uphononongo olupapashwe ebutsheni balo nyaka lufumanise ukuba ngaphezulu kwesiqingatha samanzi kamasipala waseKapa asetyenziswa zezona mizi zizityebi ziyi-14%. Kwelinye icala umgaqo-nkqubo wesiXeko wenkxaso yabangathathi ntweni ubonelela ngeenkonzo zasimahla okanye ezinesaphulelo kumakhaya angaphezulu kwama-40% aseKapa. Amakhaya anengeniso yama-R7,500 okanye ngaphantsi inzuzo. Oku kuquka ukunikezelwa kwamanzi simahla kwiikhilolitha ezili-15 ngenyanga kunye neeyunithi zombane ezingama-60 zasimahla ngenyanga.
U-Ellie DeWee, odla umhlala-phantsi, uhlala e-Elsies River. Ityala lakhe lamanzi lingaphaya kwe-R4,000, kwaye oku kusemva kokuba kufakwe isixhobo sokulawula amanzi kwindawo yakhe. Uyaphikisana nokuba uhlawuliswe imali efanelekileyo. “Andinakukwazi ukuyihlawula,” utsho. Uhlala nonyana wakhe kwaye ekuphela kwengeniso anayo sisibonelelo sakhe sobudala. Uthi uninzi lwemali yakhe iya ekutyeni, kulandele umbane nempahla. “Ndimele ndiphile njani inyanga yonke?” wabuza.
Imemo yanikezelwa kwigosa leSixeko lathembisa ukubuyela kubaqhankqalazi.