Press Statement by Irene Brussow: DA Caucus Leader in Mkhondo
- Mkhondo is losing millions through outdated water infrastructure.
- Residents are plagued by persistent water outages that last for days on end.
- The DA in Mkhondo calls for a strategy to deal with frequent water outages.
21 July 2026
Release: Immediate
The DA has written to Mkhondo’s Municipal Manager, Mthandeni Mkhonza, calling on him to clamp down on high water losses in the municipality.
At present, the municipality, which is plagued by frequent pipe bursts is losing around 30% of the water that it purchases due to dilapidated infrastructure, an ageing vehicle fleet and delayed repair times.
Recently, the residents of Group 10, Retiefville, and Kempville have been without water for nine consecutive days. However, despite the severity of this outage, Mkhondo failed to issue any explanation for the prolonged outage or speak to the amount of work that was needed to restore the service.
This is completely unacceptable. Water is a fundamental human right that is needed for all aspects of daily life, from cooking, to cleaning, maintaining basic hygiene and sustaining life.
As these persistent water outages are destabilising daily life, we requested the Municipal Manager to:
Ring-fence a portion of the budget for infrastructure maintenance.
Provide a comprehensive strategy to replace old asbestos pipes throughout the municipality.
Procure more vehicles for staff that work on electricity and water infrastructure.
Ensure that emergency water tankers are dispatched regularly to all affected areas.
The residents of Mkhondo deserve a local government that respects their dignity and guarantees basic rights.
The DA will continue to fight for the people of Mkhondo. Frequent water outages affects every household, every business, and every school in our town, and we will not allow it to be ignored.
For media queries:
Cllr. Irene Brussow
DA Caucus Leader in Mkhondo Local Municipality
084 475 2781