Eastern Cape taps are drying up fast

By Anita Dangazele

  • Three Eastern Cape towns face water shortages with Komani residents going weeks without water as their main dam runs dry.
  • While drought affects some areas, broken infrastructure and poor management have made the crisis worse in others.

Scrolla Water Watch: With load shedding now a thing of the past, a nationwide water shortage is South Africa’s most urgent crisis. In this series of community-based reporting, we look at how this affects communities.

People in three Eastern Cape towns can’t even get a glass of water as taps run dry in a growing water crisis.

Komani (formerly Queenstown), Makhanda and Tsitsikamma are all struggling, even though Tsitsikamma is known for having plenty of water.

In Komani, the main Bonkolo dam is so low that no water can be pumped out. 

Residents have had water problems since September 2024, but things got much worse in December. 

Some areas have gone weeks without water.

Aid group Gift of the Givers is helping with four water trucks and tanks. 

The Chris Hani district municipality has asked car wash and swimming pool owners to save water too.

Municipal manager Gcobani Mashiyi has asked car washes to use recycled water and cut down on how often they wash cars.

“The current water shortage demands a collective effort. Let us work together to ensure access to this precious resource for everyone in Komani,” he said.

In Makhanda, the crisis comes from both drought and broken infrastructure that the Makana municipality hasn’t fixed. 

The town got water back in January, but on Monday a burst pipe cut the supply again.

Tsitsikamma’s problems are different – their water pump station doesn’t work. 

This means water can’t flow from the mountains to the local reservoir.

Even with a new, modern water pump and purification plant, people only get water for two to eight hours per day.

DA Koukamma leader Henni Britz blames the ANC-run municipality. 

“This systemic failure to deliver essential services flagrantly infringes upon the fundamental human right of residents to access a reliable and sustainable water supply,” he said.

Pictured above: Water tankers donated by the Gift of the Givers to the Chris Hani District Municipality.

Source: Supplied

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