Dear Editor
Communities across Khowa, Cala, Cacadu, Indwe and Dordrecht have been left without water for days after a security strike shut down access to key water treatment works. Residents have been without supply since Monday, creating a growing health and safety emergency. Despite this, the Chris Hani District Municipality has allegedly put no interim measures in place.
Home-based care programmes, old age homes, vulnerable households, and residents who depend on safe water are now facing severe hardship. Families are unable to cook, clean or maintain basic hygiene. The situation has stripped communities of dignity and placed thousands at serious risk.
The Democratic Alliance is deeply concerned that the failure to safeguard the treatment works has now escalated into a full-scale humanitarian crisis. Immediate intervention is required to restore access to the sites and restart operations before lasting damage is done.
Tyekana Security employees, who guard the treatment plants for Sakhisizwe Local Municipality and Emalahleni Local Municipality, withdrew their services due to non-payment by their employer. They have reportedly blocked municipal staff from entering the facilities, halting essential daily maintenance.
Water treatment plants require ongoing oversight to remain functional. Any prolonged interruption risks mechanical failure, contamination, and costly repairs that will further delay supply.
I will write to the MEC of COGTA, Zolile Williams, to request his intervention. He must instruct Chris Hani District Municipality, as the legally mandated Water Services Authority, to act without delay to secure the facilities, restore operational control, and ensure that water production resumes immediately.
The district must also account for how a private labour dispute compromised access to critical infrastructure and violated residents’ constitutional right to water.
This intervention is not only a matter of infrastructure management but a matter of human well-being. Restoring water to affected towns will protect vulnerable residents, stabilise essential care services, and prevent further harm to already strained communities.
The people of these towns deserve steady leadership, reliable services, and a government that protects their rights and dignity. The Democratic Alliance will continue to fight for accountable service delivery and for communities to receive the essential services they are entitled to.
Regards
Marlene Ewers MPL
North East Cape Constituency Leader