ActionSA Condemns Mbombela Executive Mayor’s Failure to Respond to Urgent Water Crisis in Hlalakahle
Press Statement by Gugu Thwala
ActionSA Mpumalanga Women’s Forum Chairperson
ActionSA has written to the Executive Mayor of the City of Mbombela Local Municipality following the municipality’s continued failure to complete and commission two boreholes in Hlalakahle Trust, eNsikazi, leaving residents without reliable access to clean and safe drinking water.
Despite already having submitted a letter to the Executive Mayor outlining the urgency of the matter, ActionSA has received no response. This silence is deeply concerning given that residents continue to rely on unsafe water sources shared with animals because the boreholes, installed in 2011 and 2024 respectively, remain incomplete and non-functional.
The municipality’s failure to act places public health at risk, undermines the dignity of residents, and disproportionately affects children, older persons and other vulnerable members of the community. Access to clean water is a constitutional right, not a privilege, and communities should not be forced to endure these conditions because of prolonged delays and poor service delivery.
ActionSA has therefore called on the Executive Mayor to urgently provide a written update on the status of both borehole projects, explain the reasons for the prolonged delays, commit to a clear timeframe for their completion, and implement immediate interim measures to ensure residents have access to safe drinking water while the projects are being finalised.
The continued failure to respond to legitimate concerns raised on behalf of affected communities reflects a troubling disregard for the daily struggles faced by residents. Leadership demands accountability, responsiveness and decisive action, not silence while communities continue to suffer.
ActionSA will continue to hold the City of Mbombela Local Municipality accountable until the people of Hlalakahle Trust receive the reliable water infrastructure and basic services they have been promised and to which they are constitutionally entitled.
ActionSA Condemns Mbombela Executive Mayor’s Failure to Respond to Urgent Water Crisis in Hlalakahle
ActionSA has written to the Executive Mayor of the City of Mbombela Local Municipality following the municipality’s continued failure to complete and commission two boreholes in Hlalakahle Trust, eNsikazi, leaving residents without reliable access to clean and safe drinking water.
Despite already having submitted a letter to the Executive Mayor outlining the urgency of the matter, ActionSA has received no response. This silence is deeply concerning given that residents continue to rely on unsafe water sources shared with animals because the boreholes, installed in 2011 and 2024 respectively, remain incomplete and non-functional.
The municipality’s failure to act places public health at risk, undermines the dignity of residents, and disproportionately affects children, older persons and other vulnerable members of the community. Access to clean water is a constitutional right, not a privilege, and communities should not be forced to endure these conditions because of prolonged delays and poor service delivery.
ActionSA has therefore called on the Executive Mayor to urgently provide a written update on the status of both borehole projects, explain the reasons for the prolonged delays, commit to a clear timeframe for their completion, and implement immediate interim measures to ensure residents have access to safe drinking water while the projects are being finalised.
The continued failure to respond to legitimate concerns raised on behalf of affected communities reflects a troubling disregard for the daily struggles faced by residents. Leadership demands accountability, responsiveness and decisive action, not silence while communities continue to suffer.
ActionSA will continue to hold the City of Mbombela Local Municipality accountable until the people of Hlalakahle Trust receive the reliable water infrastructure and basic services they have been promised and to which they are constitutionally entitled.