Mataffin residents fed up over lack of basic utilities
For the past 12 years Mattafin has not had a consistent electricity or water supply and residents are at their wits' end.
Mataffin residents say their patience is wearing thin concerning the area’s unreliable electricity and water supply, expressing growing anger and frustration over what they describe as long-standing service delivery failures.
Many are not only gatvol with the complete lack of water, but also with having endured 12 years without a consistent electricity supply. Even municipal water tankers can no longer be relied on to provide this most basic human right.
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Although the municipality facilitated an electrical connection in July 2024, the situation remains dire. Power is reportedly available for just one hour at a time before tripping due to the transformer being severely overloaded, allegedly as a result of illegal connections.
According to residents, around 40 households are illegally drawing power from a single transformer, leading to constant outages and worsening the pressure on an already strained infrastructure.
They claim that municipal officials do occasionally visit to assess the situation, but fail to implement any lasting solutions.
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The result is a cycle of irregular power provision and mounting strain on the system. Some students are forced to travel to relatives’ homes just to study and complete assignments.
Further frustration is directed at the City of Mbombela’s (CoM) customer care call centre. Residents say their complaints are routinely redirected or ignored, with no meaningful assistance provided when faults are reported.
Water provision is equally lacking. With no running water in homes, residents relied entirely on a municipal water tanker. However, this tanker was reassigned to another area in August 2024, leaving the community without any formal water supply. Residents say this has created severe hardship and raised serious hygiene concerns, as the limited water previously delivered was already insufficient to meet the needs of the community.
Some households are now spending up to R350 a week to purchase water.
The community is calling on the CoM to urgently intervene and address what they describe as years of neglect and mismanagement.
Municipal spokesperson Joseph Ngala was not available for comment.
