Mpophomeni residents struggle with water shortages amid soaring heat

As temperatures soar across KwaZulu-Natal, residents in parts of Mpophomeni are enduring sweltering days without water, forced to rely on irregular and often insufficient water tanker deliveries. Frustrated residents in Ebumnandini, Nguga, and Hhaza said ongoing outages have left households without running water for up to a week. While water tankers are meant to provide relief, residents say they arrive sporadically, sometimes only after four days, and frequently fail to supply enough water for everyone.

With the extreme heat worsening conditions, residents said the situation has become unbearable. “We are struggling. Some of us have not had water for a full week.

We don’t even know when the tankers will arrive. We only see the truck and rush out, often without enough containers,” said Noxolo Zuma. Another resident highlighted that the lack of communication and inconsistency around tanker deliveries has left the most vulnerable suffering.

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“You don’t know when the tanker is coming. Sometimes it arrives after four days, sometimes not at all. “When it does come, it cannot serve the whole community.

Children, elderly people, and the sick are suffering the most. To endure this in such heat is not fair,” said Thandi Khumalo. Residents described scenes of desperation that have disrupted daily life, affecting cooking, cleaning, and basic hygiene.

“This heat makes everything worse. You can’t cook properly, you can’t wash, you can’t even flush toilets,” Khumalo said. Ward councillor Slu Buthelezi acknowledged that there had been challenges with water delivery but said the issue had since been addressed.

“The trucks experienced a breakdown last week, which affected deliveries. However, a water tanker was sent out this morning to supply residents. Although the water is sometimes insufficient, trucks try to deliver water in the mornings and afternoons,” he said.

Buthelezi added that when the trucks are fully operational, water is delivered consistently, sometimes twice a day, with occasional breaks. He said additional water tanks had been introduced to assist residents who return home late and miss daytime deliveries.

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