KNYSNA NEWS – The Buffelsnek community has been living without running water or electricity for over two years. In 2020, a fire broke out, damaging vital infrastructure and leaving the community without access to basic amenities.
Collin Williams, a resident of and community leader in the Oupad area, discovered that the main water system at Buffelsnek was not functioning.
He was informed of the issue with Buffelsnek's amenities by the community when he recently attended a funeral in the area.
Residents of Buffelsnek say they have complained for a long time and were repeatedly referred to various municipal departments to address the issue but to no avail.
Despite the area falling within the Knysna Municipality boundaries, and them being responsible for the amenities, the Department of Forestry, Agriculture and Fisheries is responsible for overseeing Buffelsnek as it is originally a housing settlement for its employees and their families.
"As of 2020, Buffelsnek has been facing a plumbing and drainage problem," says Dorie Lindoor, community leader from Buffelsnek. "There is also a waste problem. No one wants to take responsibility for what is happening in Buffelsnek. It is difficult for people to cook for themselves, maintain personal hygiene, send their children to school and live a normal life without adequate access to water and sanitation."
Residents allege that there is no other assistance available to them other than the occasional provision of water tanks with potable water.
The community has to fetch firewood from the local forest for cooking and other household functions.
Another resident, who wishes to remain anonymous, is a woman whose husband is sick and says he cannot take his medicine because the water is not portable.
One elderly resident is terminally ill and needs a lot of care. But it is difficult to provide the necessary care when there is not enough water and electricity.
Since the community is located 15,9km outside Knysna, additional costs will be incurred if appropriate medical care is needed. The majority of residents depend on Sassa subsidies and/or are contract workers without a fixed salary.
People in this community are vulnerable to sickness due to the lack of sanitation. They only gain proper access to healthcare once a month when the mobile clinic visits the community.
Some members of the community claim to not even know who their councillor is. In spite of this, Ward 4 Councillor Pindile Petros has indicated that he is aware of the issue and has undertaken steps to remedy the matter by meeting with relevant municipal officials as well as community leaders.
Representatives from Eskom, that supplies electricity to Buffelsnek, and Vuyani Kunla, senior manager at the Department of Forestry, Agriculture and Fisheries in Knysna, visited the site on 25 January. The inspection team apparently told the community that the repair of the damaged infrastructure would first need to be approved by the municipality.
The community has been notified by the municipality that another site visit to inspect the damage has been scheduled for this week.
Knysna Municipality had not responded to requests for comment by the time of going to print.
Dorie Lindoor, community leader of Buffelsnek, posing next to damaged infrastructure.
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