BIKER NEWS: Biker clubs making water drops in Free State towns

BIKER NEWS -- Bloemfontein – Several biker clubs have volunteered to make water drops in Senekal and surrounding areas in drought-hit Free State.

At least 14 clubs have donated more than 2 000 litres of water to the Free State towns, said organiser Gerhard Schutte, of the Wild Hogs Bike Club, on Wednesday.

The community had experienced the full might of a severe drought since December.

“I woke up with this idea that we as bikers needed to collect and donate water and I also asked other clubs if they were interested, and within hours they joined,” he said.


Schutte said they also hosted birthday bashes on Saturdays where they asked everyone to bring two litres of bottled water.

Gift of the Givers also started delivering water on Wednesday to Senekal and surrounding areas. The foundation said they would provide two water tankers and 22 Jojo tanks. Water would also be sent to QwaQwa.

Fifty litres a day not enough

The defence force in Bethlehem, aid organisations and people from other provinces had also been delivering water to residents in Senekal.

The Setsoto local municipality was providing more than 260 000 litres of water a day to residents, which equated to 50 litres per household per day.

At least 12 farmers had been selling water to the Setsoto local municipality for 15 cents a litre since December. Farmers were, however, concerned that their boreholes were running dry, and had reduced their output.

Senekal residents had complained that 50 litres per household per day was not nearly enough for a family.

One woman, standing in a queue with a baby strapped to her back, waiting for a water tanker, said she lived in a household of 10 people.

Shops, restaurants and petrol stations in the town had started putting up signs with the words "no toilets".

This article was first published on 2016-01-14 08:05

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