Nkandla villagers share river water with livestock

Villagers in Nkandla walk long distances to fetch water from rivers and wells. Photo: Bongane Motaung

Villagers in parts of Nkandla Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal have no reliable access to clean water and are forced to share the Mfongosi River with livestock.

Residents in several villages in wards 9 and 12 told GroundUp that communal water tanks installed by the King Cetshwayo District Municipality in 2024 frequently run dry for weeks, even months, at a time. They say they have to walk about three kilometres over mountainous terrain to collect water from the river.

The villages of Mfongosi, Bizimali, Tsamlomo, KwaNgono and Ezibondweni in ward 9, and the areas of Pholela, Skhwane and Zijibeni in ward 12 rely on rivers, springs or rainwater.

Thobile Makhanyile Shange from Skhwane said the community has raised water shortages with councillors for many years. She said the last time a water tanker delivered water to the area was in September 2025.

Bhekabantu Shange said last year they found a dead dog inside the one water tank in Skhwane. “Enemies will poison us at night,” he said. “They [government] should at least install proper water infrastructure.”

Ward 9 councillors Sibusiso Sithole and ward 12 councillor Tshepo Ngubane said their wards face a critical water shortage.

District municipality spokesperson Thami Shangase said delays with water truck deliveries are partly caused by unsafe roads, especially during heavy rains.

He said they have started several projects to ensure that, within this year, many wards will have access to clean water.

He said the R14.4-million KwaDina Rudimentary Water Supply Scheme to develop a spring reticulation network with storage tanks and standpipes was launched in August 2025. It was delayed when the Dina, Shobalenyathi, and Nhloshane communities initially objected to their water being distributed to other villages in ward 9. The matter was resolved.

Shangase said repairs to water plants used to be put up for tender, which took months. He said they had spent R99 million to fix the Nkandla Vutshini plant “in order to operate them on our own”.

In November, the Nkandla Vutshini Water Scheme, which will supply water to 4,000 households, started.

Shangase said the Nkandla Vutshini and the KwaDina water schemes will resolve the water challenges in the affected wards.

Support independent journalism
Donate using Payfast