THE peaceful protest scheduled to take place Friday morning, October 4, in Graaff-Reinet, never materialised. Co-organiser, Corene Conradie, made several attempts to obtain legal permission from the SAPS, but the appointment kept getting postponed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
A disappointing number of about 50 protestors showed up at the Robert Sobukwe building on Friday morning. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMost people who planned to attend the march, were afraid to do so because the necessary permission could not be obtained from town authorities,\u201d said another co-organiser, Samantha Graham\u2013Mar\u00e9.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n Komani-Karoo Express<\/i> asked protestors who did show up how the water shortage had been affecting them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe whole hospitality industry in town is compromised,\u201d said a guest house owner. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSeveral people who have booked overnight accommodation for December keep phoning me to check whether we will still be open. Our town\u2019s client base is quickly losing confidence in us, which will ensure serious economic repercussions for all.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another protestor strongly felt that the time had come to keep back municipal payments. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe are paying for air in our taps. The municipality has acknowledged that the air in water pipes make the meters run but they still expect us to pay exorbitant accounts. Why should we pay for \u2018water availability\u2019 if our taps are constantly dry?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Disgruntled residents in Graaff-Reinet said they were no longer satisfied with the explanations they had been receiving from the municipality. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
A petition, in which immediate action by BNLM is demanded, is currently in circulation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The petition demands BNLM to come up with a comprehensive drought plan, and also to solve the several sewage leaks into the Sundays River. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe plan to hand over the petition to BNLM soon,\u201d said Graham-Mar\u00e9, who also undertook to share the petition in parliament. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
After a subsequent meeting with Mayor Deon de Vos on Friday, Corene Conradie said in a media statement, \u201cToday, Graaff-Reinet Water Crisis and Dr Beyers Naud\u00e9 Municipality joined hands to work together during this horrible season of drought. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe water shortage is affecting everyone. Graaff-Reinet Water Crisis is there to assist and reach out to everyone where possible, regardless of political background or race,\u201d Conradie said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAll councillors are welcome to join hands and assist.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
THE peaceful protest scheduled to take place Friday morning, October 4, in Graaff-Reinet, never materialised. Co-organiser, Corene Conradie, made several attempts to obtain legal permission from the SAPS, but the appointment kept getting 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