Protesters from communal areas and resettlement farms in the ||Kharas Region handed a petition to Governor Dawid Gertze on Wednesday in Keetmanshoop, calling for urgent action to address ongoing water challenges affecting their communities and settlements.

Katrina Nitschke, spokesperson for the protesters, handed over the petition to Governor Gertze, which states that for more than a decade, communities in Poortjie, Bloemhof-Post, Aubkhaus, Groendoring, Kameelrivier, Itsawisis, Lekkerwater, Vals Bloupot, Aritities East, and surrounding areas have endured persistent water shortages.

According to the petition, the challenges are caused by broken windmills, faulty solar pumps, dry boreholes, leaking pipelines, and delayed maintenance by the Directorate of Rural Water Supply.

As a result, residents have struggled to access reliable water supplies for drinking, livestock, and food production.

The protesters further stated that they submitted a petition to the ||Kharas Regional Council on 19 December 2025, but no progress has been made since then. They are now demanding urgent repairs to windmills, the installation of solar-powered pumps, rehabilitation of boreholes, replacement of damaged pipelines, and the drilling of new boreholes where necessary.

Governor Gertze acknowledged the urgent need to address the ongoing water challenges faced by rural communities in the region.