The water crisis remains in parts of the town as residents continue to live without running water and have to depend on supply from unreliable water tankers.

The affected residents say that this has forced them to buy bottled water for basic household use.

Residents said they are beyond gatvol with the situation, blaming the City of Mbombela (CoM) for failing to provide a basic human right.

They noted that water is not only for drinking and cooking, but essential for washing, bathing and flushing toilets. Local businesses are also suffering as many require a daily water supply to function.

“The issue of water shortages in White River is not new and the municipality has been aware of it for a long time. They know they cannot supply the water we are paying for,” claimed seven angry residents Lowvelder spoke to.

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Ward councillor Rowan Torr confirmed that certain areas have been without water for three weeks and admitted that the promised water tankers have not been as effective as expected.

“Myself and Trudie Grové Morgan visited the White River Waterworks to investigate why the situation is not improving and why reservoir levels remain low. We found that the inflow is very low and only two out of four pumps are working. This is a major reason why water levels are failing to increase,” Torr said.

He added that another issue is the low inflow from the Phumlani Pump Station line. By the time water reaches the reservoir, it is immediately depleted because demand far outweighs supply.

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“There is also a leak from one of the pumps. The area is flooded and cables are underwater, which is very dangerous for workers. The municipality needs to take the people of White River seriously as these residents provide the revenue that keeps the city going. This matter needs to be resolved soon,” he said.

The chairperson of the White River Ratepayers Association, Johan Heymans, said that residents’ accounts are escalating because air moving through empty pipes causes the meters to increase.

“There is no discount and no rebate; residents must pay for a service they did not receive. Our town has been without water for many days,” Heymans said, adding that the pumps at the treatment plant should be working.

He said residents deserve better service, including clean water delivered to their homes.

He also claimed that some residents have resorted to bathing in their swimming pools, as it is the only water available to them.

City of Mbombela spokesperson Joseph Ngala stated that the issue is being addressed.

He noted that Silulumanzi located a leak at a pump station on the Nels River.

Ngala said the leak is affecting the supply of water and plans were in place to repair it by Wednesday, February 4.

“Once the leak has been repaired, things should return to normal as the pump station in question is being attended to.

Water tankers will be redeployed to the affected areas. Residents should contact their ward councillor if a tanker does not reach their street,” Ngala said.