WATCH: Taps run dry in Mackenzieville: A community pushed to the edge
Frustrated residents say the City of Ekurhuleni is failing them, as schools, old-age homes, and families struggle through weeks without water.
For months, the community of Mackenzieville in Nigel has experienced a relentless battle with dry taps and little to no water supply.
Despite repeated complaints to the City of Ekurhuleni (CoE) and Rand Water, residents say the problem is worsening daily, leaving households, schools, and old-age homes in crisis.
“Yesterday I had no water, and this morning the taps are still dry,” said a frustrated resident.
Others echoed this, reporting week-long outages, poor communication, and what they describe as the city’s lack of urgency.
“We report the water problems, but the CoE doesn’t treat it as an emergency. Our bills are sky high, yet we hardly have water,” said Goolam Patel, spokesperson for the Mackenzieville community.
The crisis has gone beyond inconvenience. Families cannot bathe, cook, or do laundry. Schools operate in unhygienic conditions, and old-age homes face health risks. Many residents have to chase after water trucks with buckets, making it difficult to maintain basic hygiene.
“This is not service delivery,” a resident said bluntly.
Mackenzieville residents say the ongoing crisis is not just a service delivery failure but a violation of their basic human rights.
Access to water is a constitutional right guaranteed under Section 27 of the South African Constitution.
Ward 88 Clr Wollaston Labuschagne confirmed that the Nigel Water Department acknowledged low incoming pressure at the Mackenzieville Pump Station as the main issue.
Residents argue that they have heard enough explanations. In a letter to Rand Water, the community accused the municipality of passing the blame instead of fixing the problem.
“While areas just a street away, such as Cerutiville, receive an appropriate water supply, Mackenzieville is left to suffer. If the pump is faulty, change it. Instead, they keep blaming Rand Water,” the letter reads.
According to CoE spokesperson Zweli Dlamini, Mackenzieville and parts of Alra Park rely on the Almac booster pump station.
“In July and August, breakdowns, faulty valves, and burst pipes disrupted supply. Being the furthest on the supply line, Mackenzieville is always the last to recover after outages,” he said.
He added that the city dispatches two to three water tankers daily to affected areas.
“The CoE is engaging Rand Water regarding reduced pressure in the system and is constructing a 5ML reservoir to stabilise supply to Mackenzieville and Alra Park,” he said.
Dlamini disputed claims that the crisis has persisted for over a year, saying repairs have been ongoing and that schools and the clinic currently have water.
Despite the assurances, frustration continues to mount. On August 24, community leaders again reported that Mackenzieville had no water.
