HAZYVIEW, Mpumalanga — A fierce eBumbeni service delivery protest has brought traffic to a standstill in Mpumalanga, as residents outside Hazyview took to the streets to demand urgent resolutions to a 15-year electricity and water crisis. Frustrated by years of perceived neglect, the community blocked the main road using rocks and burning tyres, signaling a boiling point in their fight for basic municipal services.
At the core of the eBumbeni service delivery protest is a severe infrastructure deficit. Residents report that more than 50 households in the area have been entirely without electricity for a decade and a half. The lack of reliable drinking water has persisted for years, forcing some community members to resort to illegal utility connections just to survive. The compounding absence of proper roads, water, and power has pushed residents to stage a strike action near the T-road, asserting that South Africans should not have to endure such foundational struggles.
The human toll of the crisis was a central theme of the demonstration. Protesters expressed deep disillusionment with local leadership, noting that they have repeatedly updated the ward counselor about their plight, only to see no problems fulfilled.
“We don’t have electricity here as a community,” one resident emphasized during the demonstration. “We have more than 50 houses, but we have never received any electricity in 15 years. Our children go to school with wrinkled clothes, and we look like we stay in the bush. We need help so that people can see us.”
As traffic flow was heavily disrupted by the burning tyres and roadblocks, the ward counselor attempted to engage with the crowd. However, protesters penned the counselor in, refusing to disperse without a formal meeting with the municipality. Their primary demand is a definitive timeline for when electricity will finally be installed. The community explicitly rejected recent suggestions from counselors regarding “Bho, bridges, and street lights,” arguing that such peripheral additions are useless if households remain completely devoid of residential power.
In response to the escalating tensions, a spokesperson for the City of Mbombela Local Municipality confirmed that a dedicated team will be dispatched to engage directly with the protesting community members. The spokesperson referenced a commitment made on Friday, stating that the Department of Energy is scheduled to meet with ISCOM to address the severe electricity backlog.
Furthermore, the municipal spokesperson assured the public that feedback regarding long-term water services is forthcoming. As an immediate intervention, the municipality has committed to drilling a new borehole for the area. While that infrastructure is being developed, water tankers will be deployed to provide the community with interim relief.
Despite these official assurances, the mood on the ground remains resolute. Community members in eBumbeni have vowed to continue their protest actions until all their basic service delivery demands are tangibly met.
