The water woes in Buffalo City have reached a boiling point, and is not only still denying residents their fundamental right to clean water and basic human dignity, but has also now brought the heart of governance in the Eastern Cape to a grinding halt.
The Bhisho Legislature, a national key point and the administrative seat of the province, now stands empty, turned into a ghost town by the Buffalo City Municipality’s (BCM) ongoing water crisis.
Residents across the western and inland parts of Buffalo City, including Bhisho, Kaysers Beach, Kidds Beach, and Ncerha Villages 2, 3, and 4, have experienced more than a month of ongoing water outages – causing untold suffering.
It is fitting that the Eastern Cape government is also feeling the pain of residents. For more than a month, the taps at the Legislature have also run dry, forcing staff to work from home and crippling the very institution meant to serve the people of this province.
The water crisis in BCM is a stark symptom of a broader collapse in governance. The Eastern Cape, South Africa’s poorest province with one of the highest unemployment rates, faces chronic underfunding, failing infrastructure, and near-total service delivery breakdown.
The fact that the provincial government cannot even keep water running in its own seat of power is a damning indictment of this administration’s inability to meet even the most basic needs.
In February, I raised this issue in the Legislature, urging urgent intervention. MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), Zolile Williams, acknowledged the crisis and promised further engagement.
Yet, when I wrote to MEC Williams last month proposing a joint oversight visit to the affected areas, as a practical step in the spirit of cooperative governance, I received no response.
I have since written to him again, reminding him of his commitment. I have also written to the Buffalo City city manager, calling for immediate action.
Access to clean, sufficient water is a constitutional right. It is non-negotiable. The continued neglect of this crisis is a violation of that right.
If the MEC and the municipality continue to fail in their duty to the people of Buffalo City, the Democratic Alliance will escalate this matter to the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC).
The people of Buffalo City deserve better. They deserve a province that puts them first and creates opportunities for them to live lives of dignity, not despair.