7 November 2024
Marikana residents (from left) Bonginkosi Mahlaba and his nieces, Mpilonhle Zitha and Ntoyenhle Mahlaba, push wheelbarrows to fetch water at Matshotshombeni section of the township, a kilometre away from the Marikana section where they live. Photos: Bongane Motaung
Raw sewage is flowing in the streets of Sithembile township in Glencoe, KwaZulu-Natal, where residents have been struggling with water shortages for six months.
Most areas in the township have had no running water since May 2024. Only parts of Red Location, Thembalihle and Emadoshini West receive intermittent water supply.
When the water does return after cuts, backed up sewers and stormwater drains overflow, sending raw sewage flowing towards homes and a nearby stream.
“Children wear dirty school uniforms daily because we must save water for drinking and cooking. Sometimes we go to bed hungry because there is no water,” says Bonginkosi Mahlaba, who GroundUp found pushing a wheelbarrow with his two nieces to fetch water.
Mahlaba lives in Marikana section and fetches water in Mtshotshombeni, where some homes still have water supply. By early afternoon, the communal water tanks in his area were already empty.
At the edge of Sithembile is a village of 14 households with small farming plots.
“Our village depends on rainwater. When it’s not raining, we walk a kilometre to fetch water from Mtshotshombeni,” said Thandazile Mntambo, a resident of the area.
Ward 3 Councillor Mbulelo Phakathi has used ward funds to install water tanks to be filled by water trucks.
According to Phakathi, officials of Mzinyathi District Municipality, which is responsible for water provision, told residents nearly six months ago at a public meeting in May that only four out of eight filters at the Biggarsberg water treatment works [operated by uThukela Water] are working.
“I’ve learned that the district lacks a maintenance plan,” said Phakathi. “Their communication is also poor; councillors are not updated about water shortages.”
The KZN 2023 Blue Drop report from national government notes: “uMzinyathi DM’s performance has digressed since Blue Drop 2014, resulting in a significant decrease of the municipal Blue Drop score from 78% in 2014 to 32% in 2023”.
Endumeni municipality speaker Councillor Andile Nsibande said a contractor had started work on the water treatment plant two months ago. “However, I am not sure how long the project will take to finish,” he said.
Comment from uThukela Water and Mzinyathi District municipality will be added if received.
Marikana section of Sithembile Township has been the worst affected by the lack of water.
GroundUp experimented with AI Claude 3.5 Sonnet in the editing of this article.