WATER CRISIS: Nelson Mandela Bay’s water crisis compounded by dysfunctional metro’s service and communication breakdowns

While Nelson Mandela Bay’s municipality urged residents to report water leaks “immediately” as part of its emergency response to one of the worst water crises the metro has seen in recent years, its own fault-reporting telephone and WhatsApp lines had been cut off — because the municipality hadn’t paid the bill.

The metro is grappling with critically low reservoir levels, chemical shortages at its treatment plants, more than 7,500 unrepaired leaks and a procurement process so dysfunctional that plumbers cannot be appointed because a bid adjudication committee has repeatedly failed to meet — even though promises were made .

The timing could not be worse. The metro is hosting a Springbok match against the Barbarians at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Saturday, while MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Zolile Williams hosts mayors, municipal managers and traditional leaders from across the Eastern Cape for a two-day Political Munimec Meeting — a gathering whose stated purpose is to strengthen service delivery and municipal governance.

Dozens of suburbs across the metro are affected, with several key reservoirs at critically low levels. The Rosedale Reservoir is empty, while Emerald Hill and Gelvandale sit at 2%, Heatherbank at 3% and Lovemore Heights at 4%. Chelsea and Fort Nottingham reservoirs are at 7%.

The crisis is not a result of water scarcity — the metro’s dams are full following the heavy flooding of early May . The problem apparently lies in the city’s ability to treat and distribute the water.

Infrastructure damage — a low-water bridge along the William Moffet Expressway collapsed in Nelson Mandela Bay in the early May 2026 flooding. (Photo: Deon Ferreira) The municipality highlighted several key factors they claim have caused major water disruption, including:

High turbidity in raw water sources: The severe flooding significantly increased the turbidity (mud and sediment content) of raw water entering the treatment works. Existing treatment infrastructure was not designed to process water with such extreme turbidity levels, resulting in treatment plants operating at reduced efficiency and producing less than half of their normal output at certain times;

Power supply interruptions: Critical water infrastructure, including the Nooitgedagt Water Treatment Works, Lorrie Water Treatment Works, Motherwell Booster Pump Station and Schoonie Pump Station, experienced intermittent power disruptions during May and June. These interruptions affected both water production and the ability to pump water to reservoirs across the metro;

Chemical supply challenges: The treatment of drinking water relies on a consistent supply of specialised chemicals. Delays in deliveries, logistical challenges, quality concerns and contractual issues have resulted in intermittent shortages, reducing production capacity at treatment facilities;

Excessive water consumption: Current daily water consumption in Nelson Mandela Bay is about 380 million litres a day, significantly exceeding the target demand of 280 million litres a day. This excessive demand places immense pressure on an already strained system and contributes to reservoir depletion; and

Reservoir levels critically low: The cumulative impact of these challenges has left many strategic reservoirs operating at critically low levels, with some reservoirs nearly empty. The water supply system is operating under severe strain, making it highly vulnerable to any operational interruption.

DA MPL and Bay mayoral candidate Retief Odendaal said the municipality was not being upfront about what the real issue was behind the water interruptions.

“We are not getting the information we should be getting. The only thing I can deduce from that is that the problem is quite embarrassing. I’ve come to learn that there are problems with chemicals, that could potentially be the reason. If it was just an electricity outage, they would issue a correspondence, but I also noted … a major pipe that was damaged by a contractor between Stanford and Chelsea roads exacerbated the situation.”

Odendaal said the issue at the Kabah reservoir that supplied Uitenhage was totally offline.

“However, it seems the biggest problem is with Nooitgedagt because we’re not getting sufficient supply to Uitenhage and western suburbs. It’s very frustrating for ward councillors because if they are getting information, they can estimate how long the outage will last, but there’s nothing coming from the administration. To top it off, residents can’t even phone the ward office because the lines are off.”

The concerning reservoir levels are: Chelsea Reservoir – 7%; Emerald Hill Reservoir – 2%; Heatherbank Reservoir – 3%; Lovemore Heights Reservoir – 4%; Gelvandale Reservoir – 2%; Greenbushes Reservoir – 13%; Fort Nottingham Reservoir – 7%; Fairview Reservoir – 11%; and Rosedale Reservoir – 0%.

Politics head for infrastructure and engineering Buyelwa Mafaya said the recent floods were one of the most severe th…