By Chalotte Mokonyane
A critical borehole installed by Gift of the Givers to combat Makhanda’s water crisis in 2019 on the property of the Ntsika Senior Secondary School has been extensively vandalised, cutting off a primary water source for the surrounding communities.
The humanitarian group’s project manager, Ali Sablay, said that contractors discovered the damage during a June checkup and reported that all the electrical cables and switches had been stolen.
The borehole supplied water to Khayalisha, Nkanini, Joza, Ghost Town, Vergenoeg and served as the main filling station for water tankers in this areas. The vandalism has had a severe impact on a large number of households in Extension 7, as well as a local clinic and a soccer field, which were all connected to the borehole’s pipeline network.
The caretaker of the school Mzukisi Ndubela confirmed that the borehole began experiencing issues in November 2024 and stopped pumping water in January 2025. He also noted that taps outside the school, which the local community used for water during outages were also vandalized. Ndubela pointed out the damaged electrical wires that are essential for pumping water when Grocott’s Mail visited to establish the damage.
Sablay believes the criminals knew the crucial role the borehole played in the community’s water supply. The incident has been reported to the Makana Municipality and a police case has been opened, but there have been no arrests. Gift of the Givers is now facing a repair bill of over R50 000 and is awaiting a meeting with the community and the municipality. In the meantime, the organisation is trucking water from Adelaide, 118km away, to help ease the ongoing water shortage.
The Makana Municipality’s portfolio chair of engineering and infrastructure Ramie Xonxa said to a Daily Dispatch journalist that “This is unfortunate. When we have a water problem [in other parts of town], their trucks assist us by carting water to the people,” and urged the community of Makhanda to protect such resources.
