Middelburg residents blockade national roads over long-running water crisis

Temporary water outages are becoming an increasingly common occurrence across South Africa. In major city centres, a burst pipe or ailing infrastructure is usually repaired quickly, or planned maintenance is completed, and supply to household taps is restored within hours.

But imagine living in a poor community, in a small Karoo town in the Eastern Cape, where you have not had running water since 2021.

This is the reality for residents in Middelburg, where water outages are not just a regular occurrence but a constant presence in their everyday lives.

“If we are lucky, we have water some nights. Then we try to do our chores and store some water in our bathtub for the next day. But many of our neighbours here are not so lucky,” said Ward 7 councillor Richard Jacobus.

He lives in the township of Midros, one of the worst-affected areas, along with Lusaka, Rosmead, Conway, Schoombee and Kwanonzame.

Following engagements between the community and the Human Rights Commission (HRC) in August about the water crisis, it emerged that some areas in Midros have been without running water for nearly five years.

Although the Chris Hani District Municipality has implemented various interventions, primarily the use of roaming water tankers, these measures have proven to be insufficient and inconsistent, resulting in residents lacking dependable access to water.

The situation reached boiling point on Wednesday, 4 February, when residents blockaded two major roads that intersect at Middelburg. Traffic along the N9 and N10 ground to a halt, and trucks transporting a variety of goods were backed up for more than a kilometre in both directions.

Jacobus said the blockade was a community initiative aimed at getting the attention of municipal officials. It coincided with the handing over of a petition signed by hundreds of residents voicing their concerns about their dysfunctional water supply.

“Residents called for a complete shutdown of town and the arterial routes running along Middelburg. It caused significant disruptions. Dozens of trucks were stopped, and several businesses in town could not operate.

“While we would have liked to keep the disruption in town to a minimum, the community’s frustrations are completely understandable,” said Jacobus.

He said the water outages affected close to 18,000 people.

Backup systems

While the worst of the impact is in the poorer townships surrounding Middelburg, Ward 9 councillor Handri Vorster said many residents in town were lucky to have backup systems in place.

“Some people are lucky to have rainwater tanks installed at their homes, but with temperatures reaching upwards of 40°C, no one can afford to be without a reliable water supply.”

She said previous queries about the water crisis elicited various explanations, including reservoirs running dry because of excessive water usage by residents, and pressure challenges in high-lying areas.

As part of its investigation, the HRC visited Middelburg in August 2025, conducted interviews with residents and inspected the worst-affected neighbourhoods.

“During the inspection, the commission observed and received consistent accounts from residents indicating prolonged, inequitable and unreliable access to water. In Ward 7, household taps were dry during the day, with residents reporting that water is only intermittently available late at night for limited periods,” said the HRC.

“The commission further observed that several households, particularly along Fillis, Marais, Botha and Long roads, have reportedly not received water from their taps since approximately 2021. Residents indicated that these households remain connected to the same reservoirs and infrastructure that previously supplied water reliably, but that supply ceased following subsequent operational changes.”

The HRC said many residents were forced to rely on neighbours or the intermittent arrival of tankers for water. This often required elderly people and young children to carry heavy containers over distances, exposing them to possible injury, and infringing on their rights to human dignity and equality.

The HRC also found that the lack of water was affecting schooling at the Middelland Secondary School, which has more than 1,000 learners, approximately 50 staff members and a hostel that can house up to 200 pupils. Services at a local clinic were also severely affected.

The HRC noted that during a short period in 2024, the majority of residents in both low- and high-lying areas had an uninterrupted water supply, raising the question of what changed during that time.

“It demonstrates that the existing system is capable, under certain conditions, of delivering consistent water supply across the affected areas. The subsequent reversion to prolonged interruptions raises concerns regarding the reasonableness, sustainability and adequacy of the measures adopted by the municipality to meet its constitutional obligations.”

In its report submitted to the Chris Hani District Municipality, the HRC provincial manager, Dr Eileen Carter, requested a written response from the relevant departments by 20 February, setting out their intended course of action with immediate and longer-term measures.

Chris Hani District Municipality spokesperson Nangamso Ngceke said Mayor Lusanda Sizani would meet with the community on Tuesday to discuss the matter. DM