Mbombela Faces Human Rights Inquiry Over Prolonged Water Crisis

Residents of various villages within the Mbombela Municipality in Mpumalanga are enduring a prolonged and severe water shortage that has sparked a comprehensive inquiry by the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC). Communities like Swalala, which is home to over 8,000 people, have been unable to utilize their taps for the past 15 years, leaving them to resort to alternative, often costly, means of securing water for everyday use.

Mcebo Hlathi, a Swalala Village resident, paints a grim picture of the hardship, linking the last time water flowed from the taps to a personal life event - the birth of her nephew fifteen years ago. With the area lacking substantial infrastructure, inhabitants live mostly in brick houses. Hlathi’s household, comprising six family members, is compelled to spend R300 monthly to fill up a 5,000-litre water tank, an expense that heavily leans on the social grants of her children, especially since she lost her job two years prior.

As a direct consequence of the water scarcity, Hlathi's family, along with many others in the village, cannot use flush toilets but opt for pit latrines instead to conserve water. Neighbors who can’t afford to purchase water undergo the arduous task of manually transporting water from a communal borehole, located three kilometers away.

The distressing situation spurred the SAHRC to initiate an inquiry, investigating how municipalities in Mpumalanga, including Mbombela, serviced communities in the 2021/22 financial year, stemming from various complaints and protests over time. The inquiry included presentations from all 17 local and three district municipalities and concerned departments, highlighting substantial service delivery failures including the provision of water and housing, sewage management issues, and refuse collection.

Municipal Manager Wiseman James Khumalo admitted to numerous challenges faced by Mbombela Municipality, chief among them being the low revenue collection predominantly from urban centers, with about 70% from rural areas not contributing to service payments.

Findings from the SAHRC's review revealed that some residents had water access only occasionally with poor water delivery infrastructure. Notably, the report called out Mbombela's outdated planning based on statistics from 2016, which fails to reflect the current population's needs efficiently.

The commission has directed that Mbombela Municipality comply with national water provisions within 90 days, ensuring a minimum of potable water delivery that adheres to the constitutional standard. Additional submissions on plans addressing service delivery amidst land occupation issues were requested.

Acknowledging the water supply inconsistencies, Municipal spokesperson Joseph Ngala cited the problems in Swalala Village to an increase in population and illegal water connections. Temporary solutions, including borehole installations and water tankers, have been provided, with promises of future infrastructure upgrades, particularly in the newly occupied areas.

Despite these temporary measures, problems persist, as highlighted by the situation in Shabalala Village and the significant water crisis within the Sand River Village and KaMajika area. These localities suffer from inadequate bulk water storage infrastructure, which has yet to keep up with population growth.

The municipality has called for funding to upgrade crucial infrastructure, which includes water treatment works, reservoirs, and pump lines, aiming to resolve the crisis for residents who have suffered too long.