Emalahleni Municipality fails to account as Phola residents go weeks without water

Phola — It has been 14 days without water supply for Phola residents and some have gone as long as three months. The community took to the streets on 11 February 2026, accusing the eMalahleni Local Municipality of failing to provide a basic service despite households continuing to pay their municipal bills.

The protest began early in the morning, with residents burning tyres and blocking roads with stones. Traffic came to a standstill while police monitored the situation.

Local resident Musa Seloga provided proof of her municipal water bills, saying residents are paying for a service they are not receiving. “We have been asking in the community groups about when we will ever get water, but officials fail to provide answers,” Seloga said. “Our children need to bathe to attend school, we need to flush toilets, cook and do other things.” 

Her frustration reflects the wider anger of hundreds of households who believe the municipality is failing to deliver the most basic of services.

Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) Betty Maphosa, who is responsible for Environmental and Waste Management Betty Maphosa, admitted that the Municipality’s internal communication is collapsing. 

She said even officials are not receiving proper updates from the department responsible for water systems in Phola. “We have been asking those who are responsible for water in Phola about when they will restore water for the community, but no one will respond,” said Maphosa. “We are fighting with the community because we do not know what to say to them, because no one is willing to give us answers.”

Community leaders have called for an urgent meeting between the municipality and residents to create a clear communication plan and warned that the protest will continue if water is not restored. “The municipality must take full accountability,” said Seloga. “We cannot live like this.”

The water outage has led to local businesses crumbling down. 

Bongani Nkosi from the Office of Municipal Manager said, “We are working very hard to restore water. The temporary solution is the truck water tanker, and we will make sure it goes to the clinic, the schools and everywhere.”