MPUMALANGA – Illegal mining activities have once again disrupted the water supply in Barberton, Mpumalanga, prompting the Mbombela Municipality to temporarily shut down the Rimers Creek Water Treatment Plant. The closure was enacted after unauthorized mining operations threatened the safety of raw water abstraction, raising significant concerns about the contamination of drinking water before it reaches the treatment facility.
The shutdown has left several areas, including the Barberton Central Business District (CBD), with dry taps. Residents and local businesses are currently facing severe disruptions, with no certainty regarding when the water supply will be fully restored. Community members have expressed deep concern over the lack of access to basic necessities, emphasizing that water is essential for drinking, bathing, cooking, and sanitation. The prolonged outage has forced many daily activities to be put on hold, severely impacting the quality of life for local residents.
A spokesperson for the Mbombela Municipality confirmed that the primary risk stems from chemicals used during illegal mining and processing activities, which could introduce heavy metals and other hazardous contaminants into the raw water supply. The municipality emphasized that it will not take the risk of processing compromised raw water and distributing it to citizens.
The plant will only reopen once the area is officially declared safe. In the interim, the municipality is conducting rigorous tests on the water already in the distribution system to ensure it is free of heavy metals before resuming normal operations. In a public advisory, residents have been urged to remain vigilant and immediately report any unusual changes in the color, taste, or odor of their drinking water.
To address the root cause of the disruption, the municipality has called on the South African Police Service and other law enforcement agencies to intensify efforts to halt illegal mining and secure the area. A provincial police spokesperson affirmed that a dedicated unit is actively combating illicit mining operations in the province. Highlighting recent enforcement successes, the spokesperson noted that law enforcement arrested 105 illegal miners in a single day during a coordinated operation last week. While police acknowledge that unauthorized operations continue to pose a challenge in Barberton, they emphasized that decisive, ongoing action is being taken to dismantle these networks.
For now, residents and businesses in Barberton remain caught in the middle, awaiting both the restoration of clean drinking water and a lasting, coordinated solution to the persistent illegal mining problem in the region.
