Residents are calling on the City of Mbombela’s (CoM) executive mayor, Sibongile Makushe-Mazibuko, to personally visit the community and address a dire water shortage that has left taps dry for years and tankers stalled for months.

The community’s plea follows an eight-month period during which water tankers, previously the only source of relief, ceased deliveries entirely.

Residents are demanding a clear plan from the mayor to restore a reliable water supply to the area.

The move to contact the mayor directly comes after repeated attempts to engage with the ward councillor, Sipo Makhubela, proved fruitless.

Residents claim the councillor has refused to attend their meetings when they call him and frequently ignores phone calls, despite being fully aware of the crisis.

While taps were installed in the area roughly ten years ago, community members say they only functioned for less than three months.

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For a decade, the infrastructure has stood as a hollow reminder of unfulfilled promises.

Community member Vusi Nyathikazi expressed the frustration of many, stating that the local leadership has effectively abandoned them.

“Our councillor does not exist at all because he is not delivering according to our needs. We don’t have water and the tankers we requested aren’t coming. However, when people pay [for private delivery], the tankers arrive quickly. We believe that if the mayor sees the situation we are living under for herself, she will make a plan for us,” said Nyathikazi.

Bongani Mhlanga echoed these sentiments, noting that the community feels ignored despite their participation in the democratic process.

“Our councillor has failed us dismally. He doesn’t even seem to care that we exist, yet we voted him into office. We have written to the mayor’s office inviting her to visit. Since she took office, she has never bothered to come here. We have made peace with the bad roads, but we cannot survive without water,” Mhlanga said.

For Patience Mnisi, the situation has reached a breaking point, forcing residents to compete with livestock for water.

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“In our area, we are only important during elections. Once we have voted, they vanish and forget their promises. Taps were installed during the elections, but as soon as they were elected, they disappeared. We are now subjected to sharing water with animals. We are calling on the mayor to address us on her plans,” she said.

The CoM spokesperson, Joseph Ngala, said he was not aware of the letter sent by the residents.

While he committed to checking with the mayor’s office and providing an update, no further response had been received by the time of going online.