Capetonians will be slapped with a double water whammy from on Thursday.
Not only have we been limited to only 50 litres of water per person per day, but the City of Cape Town has said it will be implementing new rules for the Newlands Spring, with the natural water source set to be rerouted in the next few weeks due to congestion and varkerige behaviour.
People have been queueing at the spring to collect free water amid the ongoing drought.
Meanwhile, Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Trade and Industry has raised concerns about “unscrupulous traders” who have increased the price of bottled water to benefit from the crisis.
The committee will write to the Minister of Trade and Industry, Rob Davies, as well as the National Consumer Commissioner asking for an intervention to freeze the price of bottled water.
Chairperson of the committee, Joanmariae Fubbs, said: “The current increase in the price of bottled water being charged by some unscrupulous entrepreneurs amounts to exploitation of the poor and vulnerable and does not reflect the spirit of the Constitution.”
Day Zero, when taps will run dry, has been projected to start on 16 April.
Meanwhile, the City will be stepping in to regulate the Newlands Spring.
“Earlier this week, a physical conflict broke out and a person was arrested by SAPS,” said Mayco Member for Safety and Security, JP Smith.
“The surrounding neighbours and particularly the adjacent old age home are also being adversely affected. The congestion and noise from cars and persons visiting the site at all hours of the day and night is causing many complaints from the surrounding community and often Kildare Road and Springs Way... are blocked.”
He added that traffic services will manage congestion and parking, and the site will only be accessible to cars between 7am and 8pm.
Mense will only be allowed to fill containers of up to 25 litres at a time - but can re-join the queue to fill more.
The water will be rerouted to Newlands Swimming Pool site in Main Road, about 700 metres away, “which has much better parking and space available,” Smith said.