The former glory of the Lowveld has crumbled, leaving communities in distress.

The recent heavy downpours have exposed the sorry state of the region’s crumbling infrastructure and lack of maintenance.

Now that the excitement of the holiday season has died down, reality sets in, with Mbombela and White River residents reaching breaking point as 2026 begins.

According to Johan Hayman, chairperson of the White River Rate Payers Association, a logistical nightmare, which had been building for years, has been laid bare. From the R533 to the suburban streets of these towns, the shocking toll of an ineffective municipality is visible everywhere.

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“It is not only the catastrophic road conditions that have brought these beautiful places to their knees, but the general state of collapse. Despite the valiant efforts of tax-paying businesses and citizens, the cracks in a once-proud region have become impossible to conceal with mere temporary fixes,” he said.

Thea Rix, a Mbombela ward councillor, said that major routes under the City of Mbombela have been declared unsafe, cutting off vital links between towns and townships. Deteriorating roads have become obstacle courses, damaging vehicles and endangering lives.

“Overgrown sidewalks and debris-choked storm-water drains are diverting rain and waste onto roads, accelerating damage. Despite plenty of rain, there is a water shortage, and power outages – triggered by the storms but exacerbated by an unstable grid – are crippling pumping stations in the process,” she said.

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White River ward councillor Rowan Torr echoed Haymans and Rix’s sentiment when taps ran dry for days in White River and parts of Mbombela. As a result, for many families, finding clean water for basic hygiene and cooking had become an almost impossible task.

Water supply pipes remained empty, leaving the public stunned as to how a modern provincial capital such as Mbombela could reached this level of dysfunction. There is a consensus that this was inevitable, with “incompetent local governance and empty promises” driving the Lowveld to a standstill.

At the beginning of a new year, when most people have renewed hope, Lowvelders are left stunned and gatvol.

“It’s not just the weather, but years of watching things fall apart while we pay our rates and taxes. We are tired of excuses; we need a city that works. We are aware heavy rains bring natural disasters. However, if we had working and maintained systems, water shortages, electrical issues, and damaged roads would not have been such huge problems,” explained Torr.

As the Department of Public Works, Roads and Transport and Ehlanzeni Disaster Management teams continue assessing the damage, communities remain anxious, expecting little to change. With more rain on the horizon, the priorities are urgent and unmistakable: immediate relief for water-stressed areas and a firm commitment to long-term infrastructure repair.

Lowvelders, long admired for their resilience, have grown weary, realising these crises were man-made.

In response to the recent heavy rains that damaged roads and bridges across the municipality, the City of Mbombela’s executive mayor, Sibongile Makushe-Mazibuko, has officially launched a series of infrastructure interventions. She said the municipality has a comprehensive overview of the destruction.

“The municipality knows all damaged areas from the data submitted by ward councillors, enabling the municipality to map out its response effectively. The initial phase of the intervention will focus on critical infrastructure that supports clinics, hospitals, education and major connecting roads,” Makushe-Mazibuko explained.

“Our plan is to make sure we fix all the damage that was caused by the rains, one step at a time.”

The mayor expressed her gratitude to proactive neighbourhoods that didn’t wait for official teams to arrive.