The protest by Ncerha residents today, which brought the R72 to a standstill this morning, is the clearest signal yet of a total breakdown in trust between communities and the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality (BCMM).
The Democratic Alliance (DA) recognises the right of communities to engage in peaceful protest to make their voices heard. However, we cannot condone unlawful actions, such as blocking national roads, which place lives at risk and disrupt the broader public. The fact that residents feel driven to such extremes is a stark indictment of BCMM’s failures.
For years, the municipality has ignored the pleas of communities for basic services. Families in Ncerha and surrounding villages have endured repeated water outages, forcing them to survive on intermittent supply, water rationing, or the irregular carting of water to local reservoirs. Kaysers Beach has faced the same crisis, with boreholes sealed off since 2016 and no clarity on when a permanent solution will be implemented.
The constitutional right to clean, reliable water is being violated daily. Communities are forced to live without dignity, and trust in government has collapsed.
In April, the Eastern Cape Legislature unanimously adopted my motion compelling the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) to engage urgently with Buffalo City Metro, the Amatola Water Board, and other stakeholders to develop short-, medium-, and long-term solutions to the collapse of water infrastructure.
That motion also required CoGTA to report back to the Legislature within 30 days with a clear action plan. That deadline has long passed, and no report has been tabled.
The DA will refer this matter to the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) for investigation. Access to water is a fundamental human right, and the ongoing failure of BCMM to provide it cannot be allowed to continue unchecked. The SAHRC must hold the municipality accountable and ensure urgent remedial action is taken.
Trust cannot be rebuilt with empty promises. It requires real delivery, transparency, and accountability. Communities like Ncerha and Kaysers Beach deserve more than frustration and neglect. They deserve the dignity of functioning services and leadership they can believe in.
The people of Buffalo City deserve leadership that delivers, and a future built on dignity, opportunity, and honest government.