We visited eight boreholes in Cofimvaba: not one of them is operational

Mtyhintyini Mayirheni borehole station which supplies seven villages was vandalised six years ago, allegedly by municipal workers. Photos: Nombulelo Damba- Hendrik

• Numerous villages in Mbinzana, Eastern Cape, have not had water for many years because their boreholes are inoperative.
• We visited eight boreholes and all had serious issues.
• Community leaders claim vital equipment was removed by municipal workers, with one official dismissed and another resigning following these allegations.
• Villagers are forced to buy water from private trucks or use donkeys to collect water from streams.

Most of the 15 villages in the Mbinzana area around Cofimvaba, Eastern Cape, have been without running water for many years.

Bulelwa Ganyaza, Chris Hani District Municipality spokesperson, says the ward 4 villages are largely supplied by boreholes, but because of theft and vandalism of generators, pumps and electrical cables, the boreholes cannot function.

Villagers buy water at R2,500 per 5,000 litres from private trucks, or they hire donkeys for R20 to R100, depending on the load, to fetch water from the Indwe River and the Lubisi dam.

Nkosi Mdengentonga Thembalakhe Liwani, the headman elected by the community in 2010, said they begged the municipality for years to assist them. They asked for water tanks in 2020, but these were never supplied. The community then appealed to the national Department of Water and Sanitation for help.

The Singeni pump station, which supplies about 30 households, has not been working for the past five months due to a lack of diesel.

In November community leaders took Thembilizwi Macatshaza, an official from the national department, for a tour of their inoperative boreholes. We visited eight boreholes. All had serious issues.

The first borehole was in Singeni village, which supplies about 30 households. Resident Bulelani Kama said they ran out of diesel months ago to operate it.

A pipeline, laid two years ago from Lubisi Dam, was intended to supply additional households. But the pipeline ends just five metres from the pump station and has never been connected.

“We are really struggling. We want clean water,” said Kama.

Two kilometres further in EMasimini is a borehole with a pump station that supplies three villages, but its generator was removed in 2021 by unknown people.

A third borehole, at Mtyhintyini Mayirheni pump station, which is meant to supply 50 households and seven more villages, including Singeni and EMasimini to which it is connected, has not been working for the past six years.

Headman Liwani said a resident saw municipal workers, who were driving a municipal truck, remove the power generator. He said they contacted the district municipality and it was returned, but a battery was missing.

Ganyaza said, “The district municipality does open cases with SAPS across the district whenever there is an occurrence that requires such. However regarding this particular incident, internal processes immediately ensued … with one official subsequently dismissed, while another resigned.”

Next was Emabaleni village, where the borehole has a working generator, but no diesel. The borehole supplies one tap shared by about 30 households. Community chairperson Khathazile Danileyo said they go for “years” without diesel.

The many elderly residents in this village in Mbinzana find it very hard to rotate the plate wheel to pump water.

The fifth borehole we visited is operated by a plate wheel. Only the physically strongest in the community can rotate it and it takes time and great effort to fill a 5,000 litre tank.

The power generator at Xabisweni, meant to supply four villages, was also allegedly removed by municipal officials. It was electric and meant to replace a diesel generator, but was removed before it was ever connected.

Holi village, on the way to Lady Frere, last had water supplied in 2014, because the power generator there isn’t working properly, according to ward committee member Nolungisile Matholengwe.

Matholengwe said they reported it but it was never fixed.

“We are really struggling with water … The sad reality is that most people here are pensioners who can’t afford to buy water from the trucks. They rely on donkeys and that water is not clean,” she said.

On the borehole tour, community leaders said that even though most boreholes were not functioning, water operators were still being paid stipends every month.

They asked Macatshaza to compel the district municipality to at least fix the main borehole (the eighth on our tour) which supplies all 15 villages and some from another ward.

Macatshaza said the district municipality said the old and new power generators at Xabisweni had been stolen. But water operator Shekile Moyikwa said he had been present when the generators were taken by municipal officials.

Danileyo asked Macatshaza why, if the generators had been stolen, no case had been opened with the police.

Macatshaza did not respond to this. He said the district municipality had said water is being delivered to the area by truck.

Resident Mcebisi Maya disputed this. “We recently had a funeral at home. We contacted the municipality asking to be assisted with water. They only promised, but did not deliver. We had to buy water.”

Macatshaza told villagers that he would report his findings back to the department.

Ganyaza said the district municipality is busy replacing the stolen engines.

She said the district provides a water carting service but admitted it is inadequate given the vastness of the area.

Comment from the national Department of Water will be added if received.

This is where Xabisweni residents have to get their water.

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