By Ndumiso Tshuma
Mbembesi villagers in Ntabazinduna have appealed to the government and relevant authorities to urgently address a worsening water crisis in their community.
Villagers say they are forced to walk more than five kilometres from their homes to fetch water from a single borehole, currently the only reliable source in the area.
Speaking to CITE, Ayabonga Nxopo, one of the affected residents, said long queues at the borehole have become a daily struggle as the entire community relies on the same water point.
“We are really struggling here. Every day, we wake up very early and walk long distances, sometimes more than five kilometres, just to get water. When we finally reach the borehole, we find very long queues because everyone in the community depends on this one source. Sometimes we have to wait for hours before our turn comes. It is exhausting, but we have no other choice,” Nxopo said.
Nxopo added that a few households with Jojo tanks manage to store water when it is available, but such cases are rare.
“Only a few families in our community have Jojo tanks, and they are the ones slightly better off. Sometimes we are lucky if they can share some water, but this is not always possible because the borehole itself does not produce enough for everyone to fill their tanks. Most of us have no choice but to wake up early and spend hours in the queue,” she said.
Due to high demand and insufficient supply, some villagers have resorted to collecting water from a nearby dam, which they acknowledge is unsafe for drinking.
Bonginkosi Ndlamini, another resident, said desperation is forcing some families to risk their health.
“The situation is so bad that some of us are now collecting water from the dam, even though we know it’s not clean or safe for drinking or cooking. But because the borehole cannot meet the needs of the whole community, we are left with no option but to take the risk to provide for our families,” Ndlamini said.
Another villager, Daluxolo Ngesi, called for urgent intervention from the authorities.
“We are kindly asking the government to drill another borehole to ease this burden. One borehole cannot serve this entire community — there are just too many families. The long queues show how desperate things have become. Even if donors or anyone with resources could help us, it would make a huge difference. An extra borehole would ease the pressure on the existing one,” Ngesi said.
Ngesi also expressed concern over the risk of disease outbreaks.
“We are really worried about our health because using water from unsafe sources like the dam exposes us to waterborne diseases. The situation is getting worse, and the demand for clean drinking water keeps growing. We just hope our cries will be heard soon, whether by the government, donors or anyone willing to assist, because we cannot go on living like this,” he said.
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