The Tafelsig Anti-Eviction Campaign is shocked to announce that the communaltaps installed in some streets after the mass water disconnections in the area on September 26th 2001, were removed over the weekend.
The community is now being completely denied their right to free water. Families have been forced to line up outside the local clinic to get water,but clinic officials are turning people away.
There is a serious health crisis looming in Tafelsig. In Perdeberg Street there are six families who have been without water since the water war – they never even got a communal tap.
The Anti-Eviction Campaign has collected affidavits of the sick in Tafelsig. These are just a few of them:
No. 34 Dassenberg Street Ten people are living in a 3 roomed house. A 25 year old woman has terminal cancer and receives a disability grant which is sustaining the entire household. Her mother is paralysed. The household has been paying R200 per month out of the R540 disability grant on their arrears. Their water was disconnected on September 26th.
No 35 Dassenberg Street
There are five people living in a 3 roomed house. The leaseholder is paralysed. His family members – a husband, wife and two children have serious health problems. The husband has tuberculosis and lung cancer. The
wife has diseased lungs. The nine-year old son is confined to a wheelchair. The 11 year old son has TB. The Unicity told the household that the paralysed leaseholder must visit the offices in Cape Town if he wants to appeal to Council to turn the water back on.
16 Hangklip St
Mrs S. Smith is the leaseholder. She has been paralysed for 15 years. There is a family of 15 people living in this house.
A child of 3 years old has been paralysed since birth. Two other children have asthma and epilepsy respectively. The household survives on the one pension of Mrs S. Smith. They pay R300 per month on their water, rent and rates bills yet they were still disconnected from water on 26th September.
During this month of October, family members have paid R450 (R150 in three installments) to the Unicity offices in Cape Town but their services have still not been reconnected.
The Anti-Eviction Campaign is also planning a legal case against the Cape Town Unicity around Veronica Malgas of Portlands [47]. Veronic was disconnected from her water almost two weeks ago yet she only received her disconnection order today. There is no address on her order. It is only
addressed to “Dear Sir/Madam”. This is totally illegal. Veronic is an outpatient at Lentegeur and needs to take medication every day. She receives a disability grant and pays R100 every month to cover water arrears. There is no free water reflected on her bills. The Campaign is meeting with the lawyer this afternoon to launch legal action against the Unicity.
…/ends
For comment call Ishmael Petersen on 3925979 or 3976386 after 1pm
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