Residents of the Skaaprus informal settlement may have to relocate in order for the Msukaligwa Municipality to supply them with water.

According to Health-e, Skaaprus residents have been fighting for clean water for 25 years. The municipality built one borehole in the area in 2012. In 2013 the municipality built another three boreholes. However, residents say these do not work.

Residents told OurHealth that they use water from nearby streams. Although this water is not clean, they say the borehole water smells even after it has been boiled or bleached. “Our living conditions haven’t changed, and sometimes it feels like we have been forgotten,” said Skaaprus resident Andile Skhosana.

Despite this, the municipality says there is little it can do for the community because it is not located in an area owned by the municipality. “The municipality cannot provided water and electricity until they move to an area owned by the municipality. If they move, we will be able to resolve their problems,” Ward Counsellor Zodwa Nkosi told Health-e. She pointed out that the boreholes were only meant to assist the community until it relocated and were never meant to be permanent.