Several residents of Mdantsane woke up on Thursday without potable water following a cable theft incident at the Umzonyana Water Treatment Works.
This left large parts of East London and the suburb facing water quality concerns and supply interruptions this week.
The theft prompted the Buffalo City Metro to issue a precautionary notice to boil water while urgent tests were conducted.
Resident Ncumisa Mekane said they were used to the inconsistent water supply in their area.
“We get water during the day and then it gets switched off in the evening, which is frustrating because we are being deprived of our basic rights.
“It is even more frustrating now, because we are being given contaminated water.”
I live with a physically challenged child, which is very challenging, because I always have to make sure I give my child medical treatment and also make sure he is hydrated and clean.
— Unit P resident Hlomela Magadlela
Mekane said they had been waiting for water tankers for the past 24 hours, as that was the only alternative.
Unit P resident Hlomela Magadlela said she had been without water for four days.
“I live with a physically challenged child, which is very challenging, because I always have to make sure I give my child medical treatment and also make sure he is hydrated and clean,” Magadlela said.
BCM spokesperson Bongani Fuzile confirmed that power to the critical treatment plant was cut on Tuesday afternoon after thieves tampered with the main power supply line.
“Power to the Umzonyana Water Treatment Works was interrupted late afternoon on Tuesday, and our electricity department immediately launched an investigation which confirmed the main supply cable had been cut,” Fuzile said.
According to the municipality, technicians managed to restore power by Wednesday, using an alternate power supply line while repairs to the damaged cable were being finalised.
But the interruption compromised key treatment processes, including filtration, backwashing and chlorination, raising concerns about potential contamination.
“Inadequate filtration can affect the aesthetic quality of the water, and insufficient chlorination poses risks for sensitive individuals such as infants and the elderly,” Fuzile said.
He said pathogens could cause gastric disturbances if present, and testing was being done to ensure compliance with national SANS 241 water quality standards.
Some areas that have been hit hard by water shortages are Mdantsane, Fort Grey, Scenery Park and Dawn.
“It takes time to restore a balanced supply, and we encourage residents to use water sparingly to help the system stabilise,” Fuzile said.
Samples were collected on Wednesday from reservoirs and household points across East London and Mdantsane.
The municipality uses rapid bacteriological testing methods that deliver results within 24 hours.
“The water quality results will be available on Thursday and will be shared publicly.
“The boil water notice will only be lifted once the water meets SANS 241 standards,” Fuzile said.
The municipality said its priority has been public safety.
“We issued the boil water notice immediately as a precaution rather than wait for results.
“Protecting residents, especially vulnerable groups, was central to that decision,” Fuzile said.
He said water tankers had been made available according to procurement protocols.
Some Mdantsane residents said they had been waiting in vain for water tankers the whole day.
Yandisa Sandi said she had been hoping water tankers would arrive on Wednesday morning, since the outage occurred on Tuesday evening.
Umzonyana is equipped with two power supply feeds to reduce the risk of full outages.
This allowed the municipality to restore electricity quickly after the theft.
“Repairs to the main supply line were completed on Wednesday morning,” Fuzile said.
“The dual-supply system significantly reduced the duration and impact of the outage.”
However, he said cable theft remained a threat to essential services and required community vigilance and stronger protection measures.
“Yes, we will publish all water quality results and notify residents immediately once the boil water notice can be lifted,” Fuzile said.
Daily Dispatch
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