Makhanda voters face critical choice amid years of water and infrastructure woes
The Eastern Cape municipality, which governs the town formerly known as Grahamstown, has been plagued by years of financial and governance challenges, with residents continuing to grapple with unreliable water supplies and failing infrastructure.
Ntuthuzelo Nene
Makhanda residents wait in line outside the Bantu Stephen Biko Building. Photo: Ntuthuzelo Nene
Ntuthuzelo Nene
The future of Makana Municipality’s troubled administration hangs in the balance as voters head to the polls in Makhanda.
The Eastern Cape municipality, which governs the town formerly known as Grahamstown, has been plagued by years of financial and governance challenges, with residents continuing to grapple with unreliable water supplies and failing infrastructure.
A short queue has already started forming outside Victoria Girls Primary School, as residents arrive to cast their votes.
There’s a lot at stake here, with the election expected to test whether the ANC can retain control of a municipality that has been struggling to deliver basic services.
When EWN visited Makhanda in September, residents were still grappling with unreliable water supplies, poor sanitation and inadequate housing.
23-year-old Mia Hatting is among those hoping the election will bring change.
She said young people have a responsibility to shape the country’s future.
“I really love South Africa as a nation and where I live. I think we have a lot of potential, especially the youth has a lot of potential more than we give ourselves to change things for the better," said Hatting.
In the 2021 local government elections, the ANC won 14 of the municipality’s 27 council seats, giving it a narrow majority.
Service delivery failures, particularly persistent water and sanitation challenges, are once again in the spotlight as voters head to the polls in Makhanda in the Eastern Cape.
Residents are hoping the incoming administration will prioritise basic services, infrastructure development, and housing, in a municipality that has endured years of financial and governance challenges.
Formerly known as Grahamstown, Makhanda falls under the Makana Local Municipality, which has come under repeated scrutiny over its failure to address basic service delivery concerns.
In June, the South African Human Rights Commission described the municipality’s ongoing water and sanitation crisis as a gross violation of human rights and recommended that the municipality be dissolved.
Makhanda resident Kwanda Zenani said the municipality must urgently address its water supply and infrastructure problems…
“Makhanda has water supply challenges. The town’s water is not clean, and I don’t even want to mention the issue of potholes. So, I would love the municipality to focus on infrastructure development," said Zenani.
Another resident, Geoff Tarr, says improving basic services and addressing longstanding maintenance problems should be among the incoming administration’s priorities.
“I’d like to see general service delivery, a bit of basic housekeeping, essential services jacked up a bit, and potholes. It’s a new democracy, so there are going to be some teething problems, albeit being 30 years in. But I think we can be better than what we’re getting," said Tarr