Communities come together for water solutions

• Residents in Gate 7 and 18 Avenue informal settlements have no nearby access to water

• Ntirhisano Community Centre (NCC) and African Water Commons Collectives (AWCC) put together a Water Workshop

• Regular meetings will take place

Residents from Gate 7 and 18 Avenue Informal Settlement during WATER Workshop which took place at, 18 Avenue Community hall. The Workshop was organized and facilitated by Ntirhisano Community Centre (NCC) and African Water Commons Collectives (AWCC), respectively.

Both informal settlements have no access to water. They have to walk long distances to fetch water in 5, 10, 20 and 25 litres and some residents are over sixty-year-old. There are no toilets and they are forced to go to the bushes to relieve themselves. 

The residents in these informal settlements are susceptible to diseases because they are unable to wash or clean themselves properly, regularly and school children are also affected. Children from as young as five years old are forced to fetch water for their families. Sometimes, they can't make it to school because there's no water to prepare for school. 

Water is life, key to sanitation and without water you are dying everyday - the attendees of the workshop agreed, unanimously they are ready for a mass action. Both informal settlements are without electricity and they rely on firewood for cooking. 

Residents presented group discussions during the Workshop.

The attendees of the workshop agreed to organise in communities with houses because they are also affected with high water bills and cut offs. Because industry and the City of Cape Town government are turning water into a commodity – like they did with electricity.

The members of these two informal settlements also declare that they want to march to the parliament demanding basic service delivery. As they have been waiting for too long. They have been to the local government authorities many times and instead they are sent from pillar to post and they are tired.