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Daily struggle for water has many residents surviving on just one cup a day

Daily struggle for water has many residents surviving on just one cup a day
Pupils fetch water from the river, which they say is dirty. (Photo: Bongane Motaung)
Bongane Motaung
By Bongane Motaung
9 Oct 2024
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Water infrastructure was installed in uMsinga in KwaZulu-Natal years ago, but most of it has never worked. Residents are forced to walk long distances and stand in queues, or to collect contaminated river water that they share with livestock.

Jabu Mthembu and Duduzile Sokhela get up every morning at 3am to walk to the communal borehole in Nyandu to fetch water. The borehole is only a kilometre or two away, but the queues are long. And sometimes the water runs out.

The two women live in uMsinga in the uMzinyathi District Municipality of KwaZulu-Natal. Water infrastructure was installed in the area several years ago, but most of it has never worked.

When the Nyandu borehole is dry and there is no rain water to collect, Mthembu and Sokhela go to fetch water from the river in nearby eBhubesini village. The only alternative is to buy water from one of the private water trucks that visit the village.

“Water from the river is dirty because we share it with animals,” said Sokhela. “But not all of us can afford to buy water.”

Households in the area are mostly headed up by women, because the men have left the villages to look for work.

In eNgcendeni, also in uMsinga, Mthembu said many of the women had given up ploughing the land because there was not enough water for irrigation.

“Each family member drinks one cup of water per day, and our children wear their uniform for the whole week to save the little water we have.”

Pupils fetch water from the river, which they say is dirty. (Photo: Bongane Motaung)



In nearby Mbindolo, there is also a single borehole. But infrastructure has been built. Mbindolo resident Xolani Majozi says four years ago he got “gobiqolo” (back-breaking) work for a contractor installing water infrastructure. But the pipes never reached his part of the village.

Families there saved money and bought their own pipes, which they connected to the water supply. But the water only lasted a few days, said Majozi. Municipal workers from the water department in Solomon Linda (Pomeroy) came several times, but never fixed the system, he said.

Now Majozi is a taxi driver and sometimes goes to fetch water from neighbouring villages for other households.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iApsZz5tae0&t=3s

Dumisani Madlabane, who used to be the local induna, says he once borrowed a rainwater tank from the ward councillor. But the tank was sent back and the Mbindolo families were left stranded again, with just the borehole and the Mbindolo river.

Majozi showed GroundUp the Mbindolo borehole, where there was a long queue of people, including old people and children, standing with their containers, waiting for their turn to fetch water.

“We are concerned why the government sidelined us from receiving proper water infrastructure installation,” Majozi said.

In Nyandu, Mbindolo, eBhubesini and other villages, GroundUp saw broken communal water taps and metering equipment. All the taps were dry.

Grade 6 learner Lungelo Mpongose was on her way to fetch water from the river in eBhubesini. 

“Here our community struggle is the water shortage,” said Lungelo, who is at Nyandu Primary School. “We share the river with dogs, cows and other animals. Our water is dirty. Some residents throw in waste like plastic, papers and sometimes dead animals, but still we have to use it for drinking and cooking.”

Grade 10 learner Nozipho Mbhense said learners already walked long distances to school, and then after school they had to walk again to fetch water. 

“We do not get enough time to attend to our studies. We wish the government would assist our community because the water challenge is the most hindering factor of our lives.”

Asked to comment, Msinga Municipality communications officer Thobeka Mchunu said only the district municipality could comment on water issues. But uMzinyathi District communications officer Nkanyiso Cebekhulu did not respond to questions sent to him, despite two follow-ups being made. DM

First published by GroundUp. 

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