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This weblog is a portal for news and items of general interest from the town of Aberdeen in the Camdeboo area of the Cacadu district of the Eastern Cape, South Africa. The weblog's overiding purpose is to publicise the town and promote tourism in the region.

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Monday, February 4, 2013

Leiwater

For some time now the leiwater, or irrigation water, in Aberdeen has been reduced to a trickle, with many of the nearly one hundred properties serviced by the water actually receiving none. Residents with access to the water pay for the privilege – the water is free, but the money paid is for the maintenance and upkeep of the furrows. Many residents have complained to the municipality, with no apparent effect, and the furrows have remained overgrown and in many cases full of rubble, assorted bottles and garden refuse.

Tienie Appel, in his position as Chairman of the Aberdeen Ratepayers Association, has received many complaints in this regards, and at the end of December decided to do something about it himself. He started with a group of just three workers who he employed for the day on Saturday 29th December. Equipped with spades and pangas, the men set about clearing the area from the weir (near the bypass) towards the bowling club. The channel was choked with vegetation and assorted rubbish, ranging from shoes and clothes to bottles and rocks. On the Monday the men returned with four others, and by the middle of the day the water was already flowing again. A final assault was made on the channel on Saturday 5th January with three men, who again spent half a day clearing away vegetation and defining the edges of the channel.

Approximately 500m of the water course was cleared by the men in these three half days, and the difference in the flow of the water has been remarkable. Jean Watermeyer, chairlady of Aberdeen's Publicity and Tourism Office, is full of praise for the work that Appel initiated, and is very grateful that someone has stepped in to deal with the problem.

" I could not stand by and do nothing" said Appel. "Trees in the town are dying, along the streets and in private gardens. I have invested my life in Aberdeen, and will do all I can to restore the town to its former glory". Some other residents have contributed towards the cost of the workers, but Appel deserves the credit for organizing the project, and supervising the workers to ensure that the job was done.

Almost one hundred properties in the lower part of the town have access to the irrigation water, paying between R250 and R350 per year for the maintenance of the furrows. According to many older residents, in the past, the system was shut down, half of the town at a time, for about a week in the winter, for thorough maintenance to take place. This has not happened for many years, and the effects of this neglect are clear to see. The municipality is receiving close to R30 000 every year from those ratepayers with access to the water that is supposed to be used for this maintenance work – not a lot per month, but surely sufficient to maintain this unique system in working order.

According to Clive Kombani, he had applied to Graaff-Reinet for approval to employ casual labourers to clean the area some time ago, but has still not received this 

           

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