Water and Sanitation Minister, Ms Pemmy Majodina, has welcomed the efforts by iLembe District Municipality to expand access to reliable and sustainable water supply to communities that have previously been unserved, reaffirming government’s commitment to ensuring that no South African is left behind in accessing this most basic of human needs.

Minister Majodina on Saturday, 15 August 2026, officially unveiled two Water Supply Schemes (WSS) in the villages of Macambini and Ndulinde in Mandeni Local Municipality. The projects include extensive new reticulation networks, reservoirs, yard taps, water meters and standpipes, providing clean drinking water to more than 2 400 households. Minister Majodina was joined by the Executive Mayor of iLembe District Municipality, Cllr Thobani Shandu, as well as the Speakers of iLembe District and Mandeni Local Municipalities, Cllrs Dolly Shandu and Phindile Sishi.

The two water supply projects, implemented by iLembe District Municipality, have significantly improved access to water for rural communities and surrounding areas on the outskirts of Mandeni. They form part of government’s continuing programme to expand water and sanitation services to rural and previously unserved communities, strengthen water security and ensure that the constitutional promise of dignity and equality is translated into tangible improvements in people’s daily lives.

The projects are particularly significant during Women’s Month, when the country reflects on the continuing struggle for women’s equality, dignity and full participation in society. The lack of reliable access to water and sanitation disproportionately affects women and girls, who in many communities continue to carry much of the
responsibility for collecting, storing and managing water for households. Where water is unavailable or unreliable, women and girls often bear the greatest burden in terms of time, household responsibilities, safety and opportunities for education and economic participation.

“Every water supply project that we deliver is therefore also an investment in the lives, dignity and opportunities of women and girls. When we bring water closer to households, when a woman can turn on a tap in her own yard instead of walking long distances to collect water, we are not simply delivering infrastructure.

“We are freeing time, restoring dignity, improving safety and creating opportunities for women to participate more fully in the economy and in community life.

“This is especially important during Women’s Month because we know that the burden of inadequate water and sanitation does not fall equally. Women and girls are often the first to feel the consequences when water services fail. That is why every new water supply scheme, we are unveling today represent a meaningful intervention in improving the lives of women and families.

“This government has proven that water is a basic and fundamental right deserved by every individual, irrespective of where they live, whether in rural or urban areas. I am pleased that iLembe District Municipality has made it possible for rural communities to access clean drinking water, including through taps in their yards. This is what it means to reach previously unserved communities with reliable water services,” said Minister Majodina.

Minister Majodina said the expansion of water and sanitation services to rural and unserved communities is not merely a matter of infrastructure delivery but is rooted in the historic promise of South Africa’s Constitution and the democratic breakthrough of 1994. “That is why our programme to reach unserved communities remains central to our work. We must continue taking services to those who were historically excluded, including rural communities, because the promise of democracy cannot be fulfilled while families remain without reliable access to water and dignified sanitation,” said Minister Majodina.

The Executive Mayor of iLembe District Municipality, Cllr Thobani Shandu, reiterated the Minister’s sentiments, saying the projects demonstrate government’s commitment to accelerating water service delivery and improving the quality of life of South Africans, particularly those residing in rural communities that have historically been unserved.

Minister Majodina first unveiled the Ndulinde Water Supply Scheme at the 300kL concrete reservoir, which forms part of Phase 4D of the project. The scheme has provided access to clean drinking water to 488 households in Ndulinde Ward 6, as well as communities in Zone 5, including Mfuze, St Cyprian, Mathunzi and Matshamhlophe.

Before the completion of the project, the community relied on communal standpipes that were insufficient to meet residents’ needs. Various households in Ndulinde village now have taps providing fresh water directly in their yards, supported by newly installed domestic water meters that will help detect leakages, improve water-use management and reduce physical water losses in the area. Ndulinde has an estimated population of approximately 12 474 people across more than 3 000 households.

Minister Majodina subsequently proceeded to Macambini Village to officially unveil the Macambini Water Supply Scheme, which forms part of a long-term project that commenced around 2004 to bring clean and reliable water to communities in the area. Macambini has an estimated population of approximately 33 000 people across more than 6 000 households.

The Macambini WSS comprises Phases 4 and 5, which included the installation of more than 2 000 standpipes supplying clean drinking water to households in eNdondakusuka, eMangethe and eMangeza. The sixth phase of the scheme, which includes bulk water supply pipelines, reservoirs and additional reticulation, will continue to extend services and is expected to benefit approximately 1 000 households in eMhlubulweni, oLambothi, eThuthuka and eNyathini.

Minister Majodina said government would continue working with municipalities and communities to accelerate water and sanitation delivery, while strengthening infrastructure, improving maintenance and ensuring that new investments provide reliable services over the long term.

She said the delivery of water and sanitation infrastructure must ultimately be measured not only by the kilometres of pipelines laid or the number of reservoirs constructed, but by whether it changes people’s lives.

“For the women who no longer have to walk long distances to collect water, for children who can grow up with greater dignity and safety, for families who can rely on a tap in their own yard, these projects represent the meaning of service delivery. This is the promise of our Constitution and the promise of the democratic South Africa we are continuing to build,” said Minister Majodina.