Girl Drowns Getting Drinking Water, Causing Riots in South Africa
2020-02-17
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1Eight-year-old Musa and her older sister Moleboheng walked slowly downhill to get water from a dirty waterway.
2The girls really wanted a drink and were tired of waiting for trucks to bring water to their neighborhood.
3The trucks never came.
4But Musa never returned from the stream, her mother Phindile Mbele remembers, trying not to cry.
5The little girl drowned in the stream, which is thick with mud and pollution.
6A strong underwater current probably pulled her down.
7"We rushed down there. She was still under the water... Two boys from the neighborhood went in and one carried her out," Mbele said.
8"The house is empty without her. She was such a sweet, quiet child".
9Musa's death last month angered people living in Mandela Park Township, near Qwaqwa, in South Africa.
10What had been off-and-on protests over water shortages became a week-long riot.
11Protesters burned businesses, overturned government vehicles and threw bricks and bottles at riot police.
12The police reacted by firing rubber bullets.
13South Africans have protested for years because they cannot depend on water and power supplies.
14Their long-term mismanagement and a lack of rainfall last year made the situation worse.
15Climate change is thought to be the cause of the drought.
16"It rains here all the time but they say there's drought. Then how did that little girl drown because that stream was full?" said Malgas "Skinny" John.
17He used rocks and burning tires during the January riot to block the road leading into Qwaqwa.
18"We have to strike and burn things, only then do we get water," John said.
19A father of two, he stood in line with neighbors to fill his container from a water truck.
20"We'll do it again, we'll keep burning things if we have to," he added.
21Officials fear riots like the one at Qwaqwa could be a sign of more social problems related to climate change in the future.
22The dams and water pipes get older and sometimes break down while the population and the demand for water continues to grow.
23South Africa's water minister Lindiwe Sisulu has promised 3 billion rand, or $203 million, to end the shortages in Qwaqwa.
24The local government owes about 500 million rand for water.
25Sisulu's own department needs 3.5 billion rand more to carry out maintenance.
26Without those repairs, there could be what the government calls harmful effects on the national economy.
27"We've been drinking this brown, filthy water since 2016," said Musa's mother Phindile Mbele.
28"Nothing will change. I know, soon, I will have to go the same stream where my daughter died to get water."
29I'm Jill Robbins.
1Eight-year-old Musa and her older sister Moleboheng walked slowly downhill to get water from a dirty waterway. The girls really wanted a drink and were tired of waiting for trucks to bring water to their neighborhood. The trucks never came. 2But Musa never returned from the stream, her mother Phindile Mbele remembers, trying not to cry. The little girl drowned in the stream, which is thick with mud and pollution. A strong underwater current probably pulled her down. 3"We rushed down there. She was still under the water... Two boys from the neighborhood went in and one carried her out," Mbele said. "The house is empty without her. She was such a sweet, quiet child". 4Musa's death last month angered people living in Mandela Park Township, near Qwaqwa, in South Africa. What had been off-and-on protests over water shortages became a week-long riot. 5Protesters burned businesses, overturned government vehicles and threw bricks and bottles at riot police. The police reacted by firing rubber bullets. 6South Africans have protested for years because they cannot depend on water and power supplies. Their long-term mismanagement and a lack of rainfall last year made the situation worse. Climate change is thought to be the cause of the drought. 7"It rains here all the time but they say there's drought. Then how did that little girl drown because that stream was full?" said Malgas "Skinny" John. He used rocks and burning tires during the January riot to block the road leading into Qwaqwa. 8"We have to strike and burn things, only then do we get water," John said. A father of two, he stood in line with neighbors to fill his container from a water truck. 9"We'll do it again, we'll keep burning things if we have to," he added. 10Officials fear riots like the one at Qwaqwa could be a sign of more social problems related to climate change in the future. The dams and water pipes get older and sometimes break down while the population and the demand for water continues to grow. 11South Africa's water minister Lindiwe Sisulu has promised 3 billion rand, or $203 million, to end the shortages in Qwaqwa. The local government owes about 500 million rand for water. 12Sisulu's own department needs 3.5 billion rand more to carry out maintenance. Without those repairs, there could be what the government calls harmful effects on the national economy. 13"We've been drinking this brown, filthy water since 2016," said Musa's mother Phindile Mbele. 14"Nothing will change. I know, soon, I will have to go the same stream where my daughter died to get water." 15I'm Jill Robbins. 16Mfuneko Toyana reported on this story for the Reuters news agency. Jill Robbins adapted the report for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. 17________________________________________________ 18Words in This Story 19stream - n. a natural flow of water that is smaller than a river 20rush - v. to hurry 21brick - n. a building material; a small block used in building 22drought - n. long period of time during which there is very little or no rain 23tire - n. a rubber covering for a wheel 24mismanagement - n. the process of leading or something very badly or wrongly 25filthy - adj. very dirty 26What do you think of the water problems in South Africa? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.