KNYSNA NEWS - The recent water shortage crisis in Hornlee has sparked outrage among residents and drawn sharp criticism from community activist Lynn Kayster, who has accused Knysna Municipality of negligence and poor crisis management.
Hornlee residents were left without water for four consecutive days at the beginning of September, reportedly due to a burst pipe.
Given Hornlee's interlinked reservoir system - where one reservoir feeds into the other, the issue quickly escalated, affecting all the areas connected to the main reservoir and pump line supplying Hornlee.
On Friday 29 August, Kayster met with Mayor Thando Matika to raise concerns about the municipality's failure to act sooner.
She specifically enquired about the third pump for the Charlesford reservoir, which had allegedly been sitting unused at Knysna Armature Winders for over two years due to non-payment.
After the meeting, Matika arranged for payment, and the pump was installed at the Charlesford pump station on Monday 1 September.
While residents welcomed the action, Kayster questioned the timing, asking why it took community pressure to prompt a response.
"Why does the municipality keep relying on service providers for temporary fixes, when there are reportedly over 48 other pumps at Knysna Armature Winders that could be installed to alleviate the water crisis?" Kayster asked.
Lynn Kayster. Photo: Rozano Alie
She also placed the reservoirs' fluctuating water levels under scrutiny, saying that she suspects the levels are being manipulated.
"Yesterday the levels were not picking up … today it's a better day for washing, and people are still using water as it's coming in, so now today it's picking up… yet Bigai is still not picking up." This comment was based on statistics of the water levels from Monday to Wednesday, 1 to 3 September, that she obtained from the municipality.
She further highlighted allegations that the crisis was prolonged because municipal employees were not permitted to work emergency overtime - delaying critical repairs. However, Matika again assured Kayster that overtime allowances had already been approved for emergencies prior to the water shortage.
The Hornlee water crisis has brought renewed scrutiny to Knysna's infrastructure, raising urgent questions about long-term planning, accountability, and the municipality's ability to manage essential services.
At the time of publication, the Knysna Municipality had not provided a response to an official enquiry that was submitted to the municipality's communications department for comment a week earlier.
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