JOZINI, KwaZulu-Natal — Residents of Ekhandane village in northern KwaZulu-Natal are clinging to the hope that upcoming local elections will finally resolve their decades-long water crisis. Despite living near one of South Africa’s largest dams, the isolated community remains without clean, running tap water, prompting urgent calls for government action as political campaigns intensify. Nestled […]
JOZINI, KwaZulu-Natal — Residents of Ekhandane village in northern KwaZulu-Natal are clinging to the hope that upcoming local elections will finally resolve their decades-long water crisis. Despite living near one of South Africa’s largest dams, the isolated community remains without clean, running tap water, prompting urgent calls for government action as political campaigns intensify.
Nestled on a highland plateau under the uMkhanyakude District Municipality near the South Africa-Eswatini border, Ekhandane boasts scenic views overlooking the Pongola Port Dam (also known as the Jozini Dam). Yet, the communities living around this massive water reserve have been systematically excluded from accessing clean running water.
For pensioners, the reality of this infrastructure failure is a daily physical burden. Throughout their lives, they have relied on nearby deep streams and springs, forcing them to walk kilometers while carrying 20-liter barrels—a task that has become increasingly difficult with age. To protect this vital water source from animals, residents have constructed a makeshift barrier.
“Ever since we started voting in 1994, we’ve never had clean tap water,” one resident explained. “We share the stream with cattle and donkeys. We try our best to purify the water, but we still get sick with cholera. We are begging for help.”
The situation is compounded by severe safety concerns. The area where residents source water is secluded, prompting local women to walk in groups for protection. The desperation is so acute that community members sometimes sleep at the stream to fill their containers when the water begins to dry up.
The community notes that bulk water pipes were laid in the ground and a reservoir was built in 2014 with a firm promise to bring tap water directly to households. However, twelve years and three municipal administrations later, not a single drop has flowed from this infrastructure. Residents report that while pipes were laid, they were never connected to a water source.
Community representatives note that they have repeatedly engaged with the municipality, which previously promised that water would be available imminently. Funds were reportedly allocated for a powerful generator designed to pump water up the hills, yet the infrastructure remains dormant and the promise unfulfilled.
As the local elections approach, the water supply issue in northern KwaZulu-Natal has become a focal point of a political tug-of-war between the IFP and the ANC. In response to the growing crisis, the district municipality recently announced plans to spend nearly 15 million rand on five water tankers to distribute water to remote areas.
However, this proposed solution has met immediate resistance. The Department of Cooperative Governance has formally called for the plan to be scrapped, publicly labeling the multi-million-rand tanker initiative as a “reckless expenditure” rather than a sustainable fix for the region’s infrastructure deficits.
With campaigning in full swing, the people of Ekhandane remain cautiously optimistic. After thirty years of waiting, the community is unified in its demand that this election cycle translates political promises into tangible, life-changing water access.
