Women and vulnerable communities continue to bear the brunt of ongoing water shortages in Makhanda, with the Commission for Gender Equality warning that persistent water insecurity is undermining basic constitutional rights.
The warning follows an oversight visit by the Commission to Settlers Hospital after public concern over water access at the facility amid recurring supply disruptions in the Makana Local Municipality.
CGE spokesperson Javu Baloyi said the Commission found that women, particularly mothers and caregivers, were directly affected during recent water outages.
“The hospital responded immediately after being alerted, while mothers in the paediatric section reportedly fetched water from a borehole-connected tap during the disruption,” Baloyi said.
The Commission heard from hospital management that the recurring water problems are linked to ageing infrastructure and outdated water mapping systems. During major outages affecting the town, the hospital depends on municipal water tankers for support.
Although water supply was stable during the oversight visit, the Commission noted that the hospital still requires additional pumping capacity to fully utilise three boreholes located on the premises.
Baloyi said the Commission also inspected key units including maternity, neonatal, nursery and theatre wards, where acceptable levels of cleanliness were observed despite the ongoing water crisis.
The municipality reportedly told the Commission that worsening drought conditions in Makhanda have intensified the problem, with plans under way to increase dam capacity as part of long-term interventions.
However, the Commission stressed that the continued lack of reliable water access has serious consequences for healthcare services and human dignity.
“Persistent water insecurity undermines the constitutional rights to dignity, equality, healthcare and access to sufficient water,” Baloyi said.
The Commission added that it will continue monitoring water access and service delivery challenges in Makhanda and surrounding communities.
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