Broken promises and neglect: the struggle for clean tap water in rural KZN

This communal tap in Siyamthanda in Silonjane near the town of Nquthu in KwaZulu-Natal is always busy. Residents often queue here for hours waiting for their turn to collect enough water for their household because they have no other running water sources. Photos: Bongane Motaung

• We visited two villages near Nquthu in uMzinyathi District Municipality, where people battle to get clean water.
• Broken promises, unfinished projects and poor maintenance means that few people get clean running water from a tap.
• Instead many people have to get water from rivers that they share with cattle, or wait for tankers to deliver water.
• A teenager told us how he has to fetch water from a river before 5am for his family and then go to school.

Families living in two villages near the town of Nquthu under the uMzinyathi District Municipality, KwaZulu-Natal have been without water for years, some since the dawn of democracy.

The water woes of the uMzinyathi District were highlighted in a damning report by the Human Rights Commission. During a visit to some of the worst affected towns earlier the commission said that the municipality had failed in its constitutional obligation to provide clean, drinking water to communities.

The Witness reports that uMzinyathi, made up of four municipalities — Endumeni, Nquthu, uMsinga and Umvoti — faced significant backlogs, ageing infrastructure, staff overtime challenges, infrastructure vandalism, corruption and non-payment of services, with some communities alleging that they have been overcharged.

Silonjane

In Silonjane, north of Nquthu, people say they’ve struggled with water shortage issues since the dawn of democracy. The village is home to about 2,300 people, according to Stats SA.

About a decade ago, Thembekile Primary School got funds and connected pipes from Siyamthanda’s communal well near the mountain to access underground spring water. After seeing the success of the project, the surrounding households negotiated with the school to share the water. Households contributed money to buy communal taps.

But not all of the families in the community benefited from this initiative which left many people still forced to drink water from sources they share with cattle and other animals.

The municipality had made some effort years ago to improve the situation by installing a borehole in Siyamthanda, but only a small section of the community had benefited at the time. Residents say the municipality took the pump for repairs four years ago, and it was never returned.

Lindiwe Glandrose Ndebele from eMahlathini in Siyamthanda told GroundUp that they still share water with animals and that there are always long queues at the only working communal borehole, which also often breaks.

“Sometimes we fight over water because of other villager’s selfishness. We contributed R1,800 each to buy a communal Jojo tank to keep underground water, but we can’t access that water because other villagers used the municipal pipes and connected it into their own yard taps,” said Ndebele.

A woman in Mayineng, Thembekile does washing near a communal borehole tap which residents say is often broken.

Empumelelweni

It’s been seven years since families moved into their RDP homes in rural Empumelelweni near Nquthu yet their taps are still dry.

Every day residents, young and old, stand in a long queue with buckets, often for a couple of hours, to collect water from a nearby river or a well. They use the water to cook, wash, do laundry and flush their toilets.

Residents we spoke to explained that they only had water for a year before their taps ran dry. They say the municipality has been sending water tankers once a week but it’s not enough water for each household.

When we visited the community, we found grade 9 learner Sanele Mbhense walking in his uniform at 6am to the river with buckets. Sanele’s 78-year-old disabled grandmother Thoko Emerly Ngubo recently had a stroke, so he was tasked with bathing and feeding her before he makes his way to school.

Grade 9 learner Sanele Mbhense taking care of his grandmother Thoko Emerly Ngubo. He often has to go to the river before 5am to fetch water for his family before he goes to school.

Sanele’s mother Nozipho Ngubo said the family depends on government grants because she doesn’t earn enough doing piece jobs. She also fears that the water they consume from the river could make them sick because the river is polluted with plastics and other decomposing waste.

In 2021, Liva Ndlovu grew frustrated waiting for the municipality to take action, so he dug a well to access underground spring water and installed a stormwater pipe. But this well only provides a trickle of about 60 litres of water every 30 minutes.

Another challenge here is illegal dumping. People told GroundUp that the municipality does not collect waste regularly and they do not have refuse bins. So people resort to dumping their waste in open spaces and canals.

Municipality’s response

Nquthu municipality Mayor Lindokuhle Shabalala acknowledged the situation in the two villages. He said the demand for water continues to rise in these areas but the budget allocated to the district for water isn’t enough. He said the district municipality, as the water authority, is responsible for ensuring water supply and maintaining water infrastructure.

“We prioritise building infrastructure like community halls with flush toilets, so through this programme our people can access water. Most of these villages’ water infrastructure installed by the district are damaged. The district has started fixing the main supply pipe from the recent extended district water scheme.” The mayor said the project would be completed by February 2025.

On the waste, Nquthu municipality spokesperson Thokozani Nyandeni said they need to eliminate the waste at illegal dump sites. He added that skip bins would be delivered in the next three weeks.

The uMzinyathi District Municipality promised to respond to our questions but did not despite several follow up requests.

The community also has a problem with illegal dumping and waste.

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