Residents of the rural Mboza community in northern KwaZulu-Natal say they face daily hardships due to a severe lack of access to clean drinking water. For years, they have relied on rivers and streams, which they share with livestock, as their primary water source. The situation is worsened by recurring droughts, leaving hundreds of families in distress.
More than 500 households in the area have no running water, forcing them to fetch water from the Phongolo and Timbe rivers, located over 3 kilometers away. Some hire tractors or use donkeys to transport water, while others depend on rainwater harvesting.
A Lifelong Struggle
49-year-old Cabangile Tembe, a lifelong resident, says she has been fetching water from the river for as long as she can remember.
“I was born here, but the situation has not changed,” she said. “We travel for hours to get water. We wash in it, drink it, and even share it with animals. Sometimes animals die in this water.”
Despite the occasional delivery of water tankers, residents say the supply is insufficient. Some claim that communal taps installed during the 2024 elections have since run dry.
“I last saw water during the elections, and then it was cut,” one resident said. “We have not received any assistance from officials.”
Municipality Cites Illegal Connections
The local municipality acknowledged the water crisis, attributing it to illegal connections that damaged infrastructure. However, officials could not provide a timeline for restoring supply.
In the meantime, residents like Tembe continue to endure the burden of paying for water transportation. “I must pay R300 to hire a car to fetch water,” she said. “It’s hard because we need cash for this, and our taps remain broken.”
With no immediate solution in sight, the Mboza community’s plight highlights the ongoing challenges faced by rural South African towns struggling with water scarcity and unemployment.
