The road blockade reportedly affected access to local schools and clinics. Residents said water tankers sometimes arrive at about 04:00, making collection difficult for those with work and school commitments. | Credit: Mthobisi Mkhaliphi
A community in Mpumalanga has resorted to protest action after years of struggling with an unreliable water supply.
Residents of Luphisi village near Pienaar blocked the main access road on Monday, August 24, demanding an urgent and lasting solution to the community’s water problems.
Residents claim the village has experienced water shortages for approximately 10 years, forcing families to collect water from rivers or purchase it privately.
Community representatives said they had raised the matter with the City of Mbombela, Silulumanzi and other spheres of government, but had yet to receive a lasting solution. They warned that the community would not participate in the upcoming local-government elections unless its concerns were addressed.
Silulumanzi, the water service provider responsible for supplying water to parts of Mpumalanga, disputed the claim that Luphisi had been entirely without water for a decade. The water service provider said the village receives a rotational supply from Friday to Sunday each week, supplemented by a local borehole. It said the most recent scheduled supply had been provided on Sunday, August 23.
According to Silulumanzi, demand in the area has exceeded the capacity of the existing infrastructure. The provider also alleged that illegal connections serving approximately 1,000 households in newer informal settlements were affecting the volume of water reaching the Luphisi reservoir.
Residents have since suspended the protest while Silulumanzi implements some of the proposals raised during engagements with the community.