While a newly launched water project has brought hope to parts of Ekuvukeni, residents of neighbouring Emachibini in Ladysmith are urging the government to accelerate plans to include them in the supply network, stating that access to consistent running water remains a “far-fetched dream.”
The plea comes after Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa officially launched the project in the Alfred Duma Municipality, an area notorious for long-standing water difficulties. The initiative marks a significant turnaround for the Ekuvukeni community, which has been without reliable water access for three decades. The project has so far seen the installation of 52 valve chambers and 25 communal standpipes.
However, the launch has highlighted a stark disparity, as the project only benefits a fraction of the municipality. Scores of residents in Emachibini feel left behind, expressing frustration that their decades-long struggle continues.
A spokesperson for the community outlined the ongoing challenges, stating that consistent running tap water is still a luxury for most.
In response to the immediate crisis, a spokesperson for Cogta confirmed that the department, together with the district, is intervening with water tankers as an interim measure for communities without stable supply.
The spokesperson acknowledged the five-year timeline for a final solution might seem long to residents but argued that for a problem 30 years in the making, “5 years is too short to come with a final solution.” Minister Hlabisa has personally committed to returning to the area before December for a two-day summit to address the ongoing issues.
The situation presents a tale of two communities: one celebrating a long-overdue victory, and another left with the feeling that being supplied with a basic necessity is still, as one resident put it, “just too much to ask for.”