MAKHANDA, Eastern Cape — The escalating Makana water crisis has triggered a severe health emergency at Rhodes University, where a suspected E. coli outbreak has left more than 100 students ill, with severe cases requiring hospital admission.
The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) has clarified that the gastrointestinal illnesses are linked to high levels of E. coli originating from within the broader municipality, rather than from the municipal water supply system itself. This distinction comes as the region continues to grapple with severe and prolonged water infrastructure failures.
Municipal Infrastructure Failures Leave Residents Stranded
While the university attempts to manage the health scare, residents in Alicedale and surrounding communities are facing the brunt of the municipal water shortage. Community members report that some areas have been entirely without water for nearly a week, with outages occasionally stretching into multiple weeks.
Local residents say they are being forced to fetch water from a fountain located just outside Makhanda. However, community members note that this temporary solution is largely inaccessible to those without private vehicles, leaving many vulnerable households struggling to secure basic daily water needs. The Makana Municipality has publicly attributed the ongoing crisis to severe infrastructure challenges.
University Implements Emergency Measures Amid Health Scare
In response to the gastrointestinal outbreak, Rhodes University administration has rolled out several interim measures to protect the student body. The university has distributed safe, alternative water supplies directly to student residences and dining halls across the campus.
Additionally, the institution has placed large water storage tanks just outside the residential buildings. While the taps inside the residences frequently run dry, these external tanks are designed to provide a backup supply for the university community.
Students Describe Daily Struggles and Academic Disruptions
Despite the university’s interventions, students report that the lack of running water inside their rooms has created significant daily hardships. Affected students note that a major point of frustration is the lack of advance warning when the water supply is scheduled to be cut off, making it difficult to prepare.
The outages have led to severe sanitation issues within the residences. Students explained that they are frequently forced to manually fetch water in buckets just to flush toilets. Personal hygiene has also become a major challenge, with many resorting to “bucket showers”—either wiping down with a damp cloth or carefully pouring limited water over themselves.
This daily routine has begun to take a toll on their academic performance and personal well-being. Students highlighted that the time-consuming nature of fetching water and managing basic hygiene forces them to wake up much earlier than usual, especially when they have early morning lectures. Furthermore, the physical toll of the recent gastrointestinal infections has caused some students to miss classes entirely.
One student who fell ill last week described experiencing standard food poisoning symptoms, including frequent trips to the bathroom. While the exact cause of their individual illness was not officially confirmed to them, it aligns with the broader outbreak affecting over 100 peers on campus.
As the Makana water crisis persists, both the local residents and the university community remain heavily reliant on emergency water distributions while waiting for long-term infrastructure solutions from the municipality.
