"I can't remember when we last had water. It's been months"
Esibangweni residents in Mthatha, Eastern Cape, have given the OR Tambo District Municipality seven days to resolve a long-standing water crisis.
On Wednesday, residents blocked the busy N2 between Mthatha and Qumbu with burning tyres, stones and branches, demanding a consistent and reliable water supply. Streets within the community were also barricaded, preventing vehicles from passing. It was the second day of protests.
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Residents from areas under ward 10 say they last had consistent running water in 2016.
Eastern Cape Department of Transport spokesperson Makhaya Komisa said Public Order Police negotiated with protesters, and both parties agreed to reopen the road to allow traffic to pass safely.
During the protest, one resident, who only identified himself as Sanele, said the community believed that protesting was their only option to force officials to respond. "We know they will listen to the police more than us," he said, begging officers to call municipal officials to the area.
Resident Lwando Kwelani said the community had been raising concerns about water shortages with the municipality since 2016. "Back then, water supply was irregular but manageable. It became worse in 2019," he said.
"Water used to be pumped from Dan Dam, but when the pipes were diverted to Mthatha Dam, we thought things would improve. Instead, the situation got worse. Sometimes the water was dirty, and eventually it stopped coming altogether."
Kwelani said the municipality had previously blamed faulty piping and promised to fix it, but nothing changed.
Following a protest by residents last year, the municipality installed 13 water tanks as a temporary solution.
Kwelani was tasked with contacting officials when the community's tanks needed refilling. "They were filled weekly at first, but that didn't last six months. I can't remember when we last had water. It's been months," he said.
"When I called, I was told there were no trucks available," he said. He said frustration grew after the recent Integrated Development Plan feedback meeting, where the water crisis was not addressed.
On Wednesday, mayco member responsible for for water, Mlamli Ndabeni, and other municipal officials visited the area. Ndabeni promised to return with feedback by next Tuesday.
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Questions sent to municipal spokesperson Ncebakazi Kolweni were not answered by the time of publication.
