The water supply was restored to large parts of Makhanda on Sunday, a day after a protest highlighting the crisis was staged at the Makana City Hall.
Relieved residents in the western parts of the city confirmed in messages to The Herald on Sunday afternoon that their supply had been restored — after having endured weeks of an intermittent supply.
Makhanda Business and Residents’ Association vice-chair Thomas Stone said the supply had been intermittent in the western parts of Makhanda for the past three weeks.
Most of the Eastern side of the city was reportedly still dry on Sunday.
Makhanda’s current water crisis has endured for at least 11 weeks, with residents facing severe shortages, rationing and fears of contamination.
However, the broader problem has dragged on for years, with the authorities blaming ageing infrastructure, high demand and drought.
On Saturday, DA Eastern Cape leader Andrew Whitfield addressed the crisis during a Human Rights Day event in Makhanda at which the party’s mayoral candidate, Luvuyo Sizani, was announced.
The municipality is being investigated by the Special Investigating Unit over seven cases of controversial tenders — several of them related to the provision of water — linked to alleged fraud and maladministration.
“The sad reality is that the people of Makana do not have basic service delivery that this municipality behind us is supposed to deliver,” Whitfield said.
“Without those basic services, you cannot live your life to its fullest potential.
“You do not have access to the basic dignity of being able to take your medication because you don’t have water.
“Today we do celebrate our access to human rights, but we also have to acknowledge that this municipality is ranked among the worst in the country in terms of service delivery, and among the best municipalities in this country in terms of violation of your human rights.”
On Friday, Makana mayor Yandiswa Vara addressed representatives of the Eastern Cape co-operative governance and traditional affairs department, ward committee members, community stakeholders and other role players at a public participation session.
She said the replacement of ageing water infrastructure, the rollout of prepaid smart water and electricity meters and the refurbishment of the Belmont Valley Waste Treatment plant were ongoing.
The sewerage treatment facility in Makhanda is the only one working.
She said that road rehabilitation projects were also progressing in various parts of the city.
In a statement on Friday, the municipality said: “Makana remains committed to transparent governance and working collaboratively with communities to improve service delivery.”
Makhanda resident Sizwe Booi said on Saturday that life had been challenging for him and his family.
He said it was difficult to survive the first three months of the year.
“We cannot cook, we cannot flush our toilets, old people have to take their medication, and we cannot even do our laundry.
“It’s been quite challenging. When we do get water, it is not in a good enough condition to drink.
“It’s brown, it’s black, it stinks, and the municipality tells us to boil the water. But with what?
“The price of electricity is so high that we can’t afford to boil all of our water.
“We have to spend money to buy water.
Booi, a resident of Joza township, said the three-month-long water crisis had affected sanitation in many Makhanda townships.
“There is sewerage leaking in the streets all over the townships.
“When it gets hot, that is a big problem.
“It stinks. The stench is too much to bear. The sad thing is that the kids are playing on those roads. That is a health hazard for our kids.
“We have been complaining for donkey’s years, and nothing is changing.
“It feels like there is no use in complaining. It just falls on deaf ears.”
On Saturday, Sizani addressed the crowd of about 200 people and outlined his plans to turn the town around if given the opportunity.
“People in Makhanda go without water for several days. Some areas haven’t had water for weeks.”
“We felt it necessary to have this demonstration on Human Rights Day after several cautions the municipality got from the Human Rights Commission around the neglect of basic human rights, which is water.
“We can see the failures happening in Makana, where the national government is trying to upgrade infrastructure, but there is no progress within our municipality.
“We feel that this current leadership of the ANC is failing the residents of Makana in these two basic things, that is, water and sanitation.”
Resident Anna Mare Fourie has lived in Makhanda since 2003.
“Makhanda is very neglected and falling to pieces.
“We have six water tanks at home, which we have been lucky to fill in the brief periods that the water is coming through the pipes, but some people in our road haven’t had a single drop for more than three weeks.
“When the water comes out, it looks like black coffee. The water even feels oily. Some people have to boil that and drink that.
“We need great change [in Makhanda].
“We need service delivery and water to be available.
“All these old asbestos pipes need to be replaced for people to have water supplied to their homes. The roads are in a state.
“If there is a storm, the electricity goes off. When there is wind, the cables clash, and then there is no power.”
In a statement in February, SIU spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago said the probe into the Makana municipality was nearing completion, with the unit finalising the presidential report for submission to the office of the president in the second quarter.
Kganyago said the office of the auditor-general had flagged contracts and goods or services procured by the municipality with a transaction value above R200,000 without inviting competitive bids.
These included:
- Professional engineering services for a groundwater development project;
- Implementing agents for water conservation and demand management;
- The reappointment of MBB Consulting for water conservation and demand management;
- The electrification of greater Makana and surrounding areas, an 11KV line project;
- The hosting of municipal emails and provision of internet services; and
- The operation and management of the Makana burning landfill site for six months.
Makana municipal spokesperson Anele Mjekula said the municipality could not comment while the SIU investigation was in progress.
Whitfield said he was confident in the SIU’s capabilities.
“What worries me is that we produce reports and we don’t see convictions.
“So, while I appreciate that it does take time to complete these extremely forensic investigations, we wish that the wheels of justice would turn a little bit faster in places like Makana.
“The people of Makana are crying out for accountability and for consequences.
“Given the complete lack of consequence management in a municipality that racks up disclaimer auditor opinions over and over again, there will be some substance to those reports, and we look forward to seeing those published.”
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