By Celani Sikhakhane
- Mayor Siphile Mdaka introduced new water tanks at Mange village in ward 1 and told drivers to supply water to all communities without politics or gender discrimination.
- Communities accused water tanker drivers of only supplying water to their girlfriends’ homes and villages or to areas dominated by certain political parties instead of all drought stricken areas.
The mayor of drought stricken uMkhanyakude District has warned municipal workers to stop playing politics with water.
Siphile Mdaka was speaking at a community meeting at ward 1 in Mange village where he introduced new water tanks to fight the drought.
His warning came after many communities accused water tanker drivers of only supplying water to their girlfriends’ homes and villages. Others said drivers only deliver to areas dominated by certain political parties.
“These new water tanks are for the whole community of uMkhanyakude District. Please make sure that they supply water to all communities without any politics and gender discrimination. Their main job is to supply all communities with water, nothing else,” said Mdaka.
The uMkhanyakude District in far northern KwaZulu Natal is highly vulnerable to frequent droughts caused by climate change.
The droughts impact the district’s mainly agricultural and low income communities. Water scarcity leads to food insecurity and puts stress on people’s livelihoods.
Local adaptation strategies focus on Indigenous Knowledge Systems and integrated government support programmes.
The drought situation highlights deep seated issues of poverty, reliance on rain fed farming and poor infrastructure.
Research and government reports from 2015 and more recently in 2024 and 2025 say the district requires urgent assessment and tailored interventions.
Most people in the district depend on water tankers for daily survival. When drivers favour certain areas or people, entire communities go without water for days or weeks.
The new water tanks are meant to increase supply across all wards in the district. But the mayor made it clear that they will only work if drivers do their jobs fairly.
Pictured above: UMkhanyakude District mayor Siphile Mdaka along with municipal officials inspecting new water tanks at Mange village.
Image source: UMkhanyakude District
