Residents of Nompumelelo and Ducats believe the Buffalo City Metro is taking their basic right to clean water for granted.
Residents of the two settlements say they are lucky to have tap water for a day, or at most, two days a week.
They say communal tanks also run out, leaving them high and dry.
The newly elected Dr WB Rubusana regional executive committee suspects that water and electricity infrastructure is being deliberately sabotaged by what they term business syndicates.
It says the syndicates are “hell-bent on benefiting from the crisis that comes with such water and electricity outages”.
This week, regional secretary Anele Lizo said they would soon instruct municipal authorities and Amatola Water to conduct an extensive investigation into suspicions that infrastructure was being deliberately sabotaged around the city.
Bulelani Kubusi, the owner of Lloyd Laundry in Ducats North, which is severely affected by water issues, fears that his business, which uses about 5,000 litres of water a day, will shut down.
Kubusi said the area had always had water problems, but the outages became persistent in 2023.
On Thursday, Kubusi said they had last had water two weeks ago.
“We are still a developing business and we depend on clients. We are running at a loss because we have to fill two tanks (2,500l each) for R1,000...
“It becomes a loss when we don’t make that money back,” Kubusi said.
Residents in the area protested several times in 2025, burning tyres on the N2 and N6 routes to no avail.
“We were told water would be available from the taps on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, but that doesn’t happen,” Siphiwo Mxenge, from Nompumelelo, said.
“We don’t know if we have to toyi-toyi again because we are tired of living like this.
“People have to pay R2 to relieve themselves at Beacon Bay crossing or at Retail Park.”
On Thursday, their taps were dry. Some residents were fetching water from communal taps.
Mxenge said it was unfathomable that businesses across the road from them had water at all times, while they were fed stories.
“We are told our water comes from the same source but it’s we who are left with no water.”
Phindile Jikajika, from Nompumelelo, said residents banked on water from buckets and drums.
“Our toilets don’t flush without water. It stinks here. We ask the mayor to fix this. We are soldiering on.
“Maybe our cries for a basic right to clean water are not heeded because we are taken for granted. Maybe it’s because we are not paying rates,” Jikajika said.
Maybe our cries for a basic right to clean water are not heeded because we are taken for granted. Maybe it’s because we are not paying rates
— Phindile Jikajika
BCM spokesperson Bongani Fuzile confirmed that the Nompumelelo and Ducats residential areas had been experiencing intermittent water supply since about August 2025.
“The primary reasons for the intermittent supply are that water demand from these communities currently exceeds the capacity of the existing bulk supply infrastructure feeding the local reservoirs, as well as the fact that Nompumelelo and Ducats are located at the highest elevation within the Umzonyana Water Treatment Works supply zone.
“During peak demand periods, this results in low water pressure, preventing the reservoirs from reaching full capacity, as water flows out almost as quickly as it enters the system,” Fuzile said
He said in an effort to mitigate the impact on residents, the municipality consulted with the affected communities in September 2025.
“It was jointly agreed that a rotational supply arrangement would be implemented, whereby a full water supply would be provided for at least three days a week, allowing reservoir levels to recover in between supply days.
“This arrangement was clearly communicated as a temporary measure while permanent infrastructure upgrades are being implemented.
“The municipality is currently implementing a three-phase upgrade of the water supply system to these areas.
“Phase 1, completed last year, involved the construction of a new, larger water reservoir.
“Phase 2, completed in June last year, included the construction of an additional pipeline to augment water supply to the area.
“Phase 3 entails the construction of a booster pump station supplying water from an alternative supply zone to the Homeleigh Reservoirs in Nompumelelo, which will also serve Ducats.
“Phase 3 was initially scheduled for completion by mid-December 2025.
“However, construction was halted in November 2025 following community-related disruptions linked to employment demands at the site, resulting in a delay of approximately one month.
“These delays were formally communicated to the community in December 2025.
“Construction is expected to resume next week, focusing on the installation of mechanical and electrical equipment, followed by commissioning of both the booster pump station and the pumped main to the newly constructed Homeleigh Reservoir.
“The revised anticipated completion date for this final phase is the end of March 2026.”
Daily Dispatch
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