Nelson Mandela Bay Runs Dry Without Any Plan for Residents

13 June 2022

News reports have been confirmed that Nelson Mandela Bay has officially run out of water with the Impofu Dam dropping below water extraction levels for the first time.

This will mean the Western parts of Nelson Mandela Bay, including KwaNobuhle, Walmer and Summerstrand amongst others will run out of water sometime in the next week. Churchill dam is set to run out in the next 11 days and Loerie Dam in a little over a month. Despite 50mm of rainfall over the weekend, it is clear that it is insufficient to prevent the inevitable.

ActionSA has warned of this impending disaster with a municipality led by a disastrous ANC coalition that has communicated no plan whatsoever to residents and businesses in the municipality. Residents of Nelson Mandela Bay are left without any idea of what steps government will be taking in this time of crisis or what they can be doing to ensure their adequate provision of water.

For months now it has been clear that this day would come as a result of low rainfall levels and a complete failure of the municipality, provincial and national government to mitigate the disaster. This is a municipality that loses around 50% of its water to non-revenue water, including an archaic water network and inaccurate billing.

ActionSA calls upon the President to declare Nelson Mandela Bay a national disaster, something which should already have taken place, to ensure that emergency resources are made available to assist residents and businesses.

While these measures are taking place, ActionSA has announced its plans to contest the Ward 43 by-election in KwaNobuhle – one of the first communities that will run out of water. The relevance of this announcement is that the winning of the ward away from the ANC will swing the municipality in favour of a new multi-party coalition which would be better placed to combat the disaster currently facing the residents of Nelson Mandela Bay. This by-election has become about the direction of the entire municipality.

The crisis that faces Nelson Mandela Bay is going to be acute and it is going to cause suffering to people, families, and businesses in this municipality. This is a national crisis brought on by local government failure that demands the attention of the entire country.

I call upon all South Africans and civil society to respond in any way possible for the people of Nelson Mandela Bay.

Statement issued by Athol Trollip, ActionSA Eastern Cape Provincial Chairperson, 13 June 2022