Update
KNYSNA NEWS - Water supply has been restored following a severe shortage last week.
The outage disrupted the town’s water pumping infrastructure, leaving residents without water for days.
Despite prior notice of the outage, Knysna Municipality failed to implement contingency measures, sparking outrage from residents and community leaders.
Community activist Lynn Kayster has strongly criticised the municipality for what she calls its poor planning and mismanagement. "This is unacceptable, and it’s time the municipality steps up and takes accountability for its ongoing incompetence and lack of foresight," she said.
Residents report that the response from the municipality has been chaotic, with delayed water deliveries, misinformation and inadequate support.
"Getting water to residents has been completely disorganised," Kayster said. "There is no proper co-ordination, and the community is suffering - especially the elderly and disabled. We are doing what we can, but this is not our job."
In a meeting with community representatives on Tuesday, Municipal Manager Lulamile Mapholoba admitted that the municipality does not have a short-term solution should this issue arise again.
He revealed that a request for provincial funding to improve the water system had been unsuccessful. However, the municipality has applied for national funding to install a larger third pipeline to feed water to Sunridge and alleviate Hornlee’s water supply issues.
Kayster questioned why neighbouring towns, that experienced the same outage, did not face similar water shortages. "If you're not even willing to ask them how they prevented it, then clearly you're not serious about solving this crisis," she said.
Addressing Mapholoba directly, Kayster added: "When you signed up for this position, you committed to serving this town. We are tired of the excuses, lies, and incompetence. What are you going to do to fix this and prevent it from happening again?"
At the time of going to press, no official comment had been received from Knysna Municipality, although Knysna-Plett Herald was told that some of the questions had previously been addressed.
Community activist Lynn Kayster demands answers and accountability from Knysna Municipality after water shortage and crises in various areas in Knysna. Photo: Rozano Alie
Community representatives served purified water at the Knysna Municipality after being without water for more than four days. Photo: Rozano Alie
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