PORT ST. JOHNS, Eastern Cape — A severe Port St. Johns water shortage has left residents across multiple villages and townships in the Eastern Cape without clean, running water for over two months. As the crisis enters its eighth week, the community is facing extreme daily hardships, forcing locals to purchase water, rely on rainwater harvesting, or draw directly from the Umzimvubu River to meet their basic needs.
Community members allege that the initial supply failures stemmed from damaged water pipes during the construction of nearby RTP houses. Since the start of the year, municipal pumps have reportedly been activated a mere three or four times, operating for only a few days to a week before shutting down again. Consequently, household taps have remained bone-dry for two to three weeks at a time. The prolonged drought has crippled daily hygiene and public sanitation, with the local taxi rank reportedly emitting a foul stench from unflushed toilets.
The burden of securing water has fallen heavily on households and local enterprises, including restaurants and salons, which must now buy their own supply to remain operational. Municipal water trucks are a rare sight, arriving only once every three weeks. To cope, residents described the exhausting routine of hauling 5-liter containers into town via public transport. Because taxi operators charge a fee of 35 rand for larger 20-liter containers, many locals are forced to make multiple trips with smaller vessels just to secure enough drinking and bathing water for a couple of days.
Addressing the ongoing disruptions, a spokesperson for the OR Tambo District Municipality stated that the primary cause of the crisis is repeated vandalism and theft. Critical infrastructure, including electrical equipment, generators, and water pumps, has been systematically targeted. The spokesperson noted that these criminal activities not only strip communities of essential services but also drain scarce municipal funds, redirecting money away from broader service upgrades and into unplanned emergency repairs.
To mitigate the immediate impact, the municipality recently dispatched water trucks to the area, providing temporary relief as media personnel documented the situation on the ground. Looking ahead, the spokesperson confirmed that the local government has bolstered security protocols to safeguard its assets. Additionally, urgent repairs are underway, and the municipality is actively pursuing the electrification of the local water scheme to enhance long-term reliability and prevent future disruptions.