• Bab'Mthembu said his family was forced to buy water from an alleged water mafia in Merafong to hold his son's funeral.

• Mayor Nozuko Best admitted households, schools and clinics face hardships but promised that clean drinking water remains a constitutional right.

For Bab'Mthembu, laying his son to rest came with a painful cost.

He had to buy water from an alleged water mafia so his family could wash, cook and flush toilets during the funeral in Merafong.

The community has been without water for nearly six months. Families say this has opened the door for men who sell water at high prices.

"We went to collect water from fire hydrants," said Bab'Mthembu. "But security guards told us to never come back."

With relatives arriving for the funeral, the pressure grew. "A man offered to deliver two JoJo tanks, just so we could bury my son," he said.

He added that many families face the same struggle. "You can't rely on buckets of water for a funeral. Our funerals are big."

He accused the municipality of pushing residents into desperate deals. "We are dealing with water mafias because leaders won't fix the problem," he said.

Merafong mayor Nozuko Best admitted that homes, schools, clinics and businesses are suffering.

"We reaffirm that the right to clean and safe drinking water is constitutional and non-negotiable," said Best.