Fed-Up Middelburg Residents Block N9 and N10 in Water Protest

Middelburg residents close N9 and N10 roads demanding water

Residents of Lusaka in Middelburg, Eastern Cape have taken to the streets, shutting down businesses and roads, including the N9 and N10 roads, in protest over the ongoing water shortage in their area.

The community has been without tap water for years and has been relying on water tankers, which were surprisingly withdrawn in December 2025 without explanation.

Despite writing to the authorities in November 2025, the residents have not received a response, and their pleas for assistance have fallen on deaf ears.

On Wednesday (04/02) the residents closed the N9 and N10 roads stopping all vehicles from using the road.

Police were called and they used rubber bullets to dispurse the crowd injuring one person.

However, that did not stop the crowd from continuing with the protest, until they met with. CHDM mayoral committee member Thembisile Bobo.

According to Wonga Ndamane, the community was assisted by Inxuba Yethemba Municipality during the festive season, but this is not a sustainable solution.

He said residents are demanding that the Chris Hani District Municipality (CHDM) take urgent action to address the water crisis, including conducting a comprehensive audit of the water pump stations, independent assessment of water treatment and purification, and comprehensive drinking water quality testing.

“We are also calling for transparency on maintenance schedules and service contracts, as well as clear communication,” said Ndamane.

Ndamane said the community’s frustration is compounded by the poor state of the CHDM’s sewage system, which is posing a health risk to residents.

“The sewage pumps are not working, and drains are blocked, causing sewage to pollute the rivers,” he said.

The community is demanding a comprehensive engineering and operational audit of all water pump stations in Middelburg, an independent assessment of water treatment and purification of CHDM water tankers, a comprehensive drinking water quality testing, transparency on maintenance schedules and service contracts and clear communication.

Community leader Blade Masimini said for the past years parts of Middelburg were faced with challenges of not getting water, while there were others which get water all the time.

“The areas that don’t get water met in November and decided to write to CHDM which did not respond, instead sent a WhatsApp message not even attempting to answer the letter,” he said.

Masimini said they are being intimidated and called names for fighting for their basic right.

“Some claim that we are bought by huge somes of money, yet they have water in their homes.

“In a petition to CHDM, we highlighted that if the municipality does not come and respond by Tuesday 3, 2026, we will close the town. We have brought the economy of the town and stopped all the trucks that use the N9 and N10 roads in the province,” he said.

CHDM spokesperson Nangamso Ngceke said the leadership of the municipality went to Middelburg to address the residents grievances.