The appeal came from the acting provincial head of the department in the Northern Cape following reports that members of the community were stealing the plastic taps attached to the tanks.
THE DEPARTMENT of Water and Sanitation has appealed to Northern Cape residents not to vandalise water tanks and tankers provided in an attempt to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
The appeal came from the acting provincial head of the department in the Northern Cape, Kobus Streuders, following reports that members of the community were vandalising water tanks by stealing the plastic taps attached to the tanks.
“We are appealing to members of the public to refrain from vandalising water tanks in their respective communities. These tanks are provided for your own benefit. Vandalising these tanks poses a serious challenge for the government to provide essential water to communities in the fight against Covid-19,” Streuders said.
The appeal follows the delivery of more than 377 water tanks in the Province to date by the Department of Water and Sanitation. According to the department, a total of 779 tanks have been allocated to the Northern Cape. The department has also delivered 42 of the 83 water tankers allocated.
The slow delivery of water tanks in the Province has been attributed to the increased demand from municipalities all over the country as a result of the coronavirus.
In the Frances Baard District, 161 of the 240 allocated tanks have been delivered, while the John Taolo Gaetsewe District has received 151 of its 275 allocated tanks. Pixley ka Seme has received 48 of its 91 allocated tanks and the ZF Mgcawu District has received only 17 of its 140 tanks. The Namaqua District has not received any of its 48 tanks.
In terms of tankers, the Frances Baard District has received 16 of its allocated 15 tankers, the John Taolo Gaetsewe 15 of its 23 allocated, Pixley ka Seme four of its 18 allocated and ZF Mgcawu seven of its 19 tankers allocated. Namaqua has also received none of the eight tankers allocated to this district.
The department said in a statement issued on Tuesday that government’s protocol to address the Covid-19 pandemic included washing of hands with soap to curb the spread of the coronavirus. “The provision of water is a key factor in curbing the spread of the pandemic,” it pointed out.
