Residents of Ngolo and surrounding villages took their frustrations of not having access to water to the streets, by blocking the N2 between Mthatha and Qumbu last week, August 11.
Traffic flow on the busy N2 stretch was severely affected as large trucks and buses were used to blockade the road for over five hours.
The road was eventually re-opened, after OR Tambo District Municipality executive mayor, Mesuli Ngqondwana, arrived for a meeting to appease the disgruntled communities, where the municipality announced a few interventions to address water shortages in the area.
The area falls under Ward 11 of the Nyandeni Local Municipality.
Community leaders say that water shortages have been a problem in the area for over 15 years.
“We have been to the OR Tambo District Municipality several times to raise the issue of water shortage in our area, and there have been many empty promises made by the municipality to address the issue, which led to us to taking to the streets in frustration,” said a community leader who did not want his identity revealed.
He further said that each household was spending about R2 000 a month to hire water carting trucks to bring them water.
During the community meeting, the district municipality water and sanitation director, Sanele Gqiba, said that illegal water connections were largely to blame for water shortages in the area.
“The area was supposed to get water from the Corana Water Scheme, but illegal connections meant that the water that was supposed to flow to their taps got intercepted, which meant an erratic water supply for the area,” Gqiba told the meeting.
Gqiba also announced that the municipality would connect the area to the Rosedale Water Scheme as an immediate intervention to address the water crisis.
Boreholes will also be drilled in the area to augment the water supply, with borehole drilling work promised to start on Thursday, August 17.
The community has threatened a violent protest, with possible looting of trucks, if the municipality fails to deliver on its promises of ensuring a reliable water supply for their area.
