Donkey falls into well contaminates drinking water

A DONKEY fell into the well, contaminating their water.

Now no one wants anything to do with the water from the well. Not even outsiders from neighbouring villages who come to attend functions.

"They tell us that they don't want to eat our food because of the donkey. When we cook for funerals it's like we are wasting food because no one is going to eat," said Ga-Mochemi Village community leader Bosnet Mashamaite.

Mashamaite (50) said they now want the Blouberg Municipality to supply them with water tankers at least once a week.

But the municipality said it was already doing that.

"No one is forcing them to use water from the pit. We have water tanker trucks that supply the community with water once a week," said the spokesman for Capricorn Municipality, Jabu Masondo.

Masondo said the village has a borehole which pumps water into two tanks.

He said: "Our main challenge is that the water tastes very salty that's why the villagers prefer water from that well. We are meeting with the department of water affairs this week to discuss what more we can do to try and sort out their problem."

Mashamaite, however, disputes the municipality's claim that there are tankers.

"The municipality needs to do something to restore our dignity," he said. Godfrey Malema (47) said many villagers are now buying water in bulk from Bochum, which is about 25km from their village.

What frustrates them even more, said Godfrey, was that the well sometimes runs dry.