Anger and frustration have been palpable in Sedgefield over the past two dark weeks, and many are asking questions as to whether more could have been done by local authorities to manage the chaos caused by the long and drawn out power failures – the first on Wednesday 6 May lasting for three days, and the second starting the following Monday and lasting for six days (and longer in some communities).
The lack of electricity was bad enough, but the situation was made that much more unbearable for many households when the local water system failed.
Obviously little could be done to mitigate the level 8 storms and gale-force winds that affected the whole Garden Route over a period of six days, with trees that have stood for decades being toppled over like skittles (263 fell on George Golf Course alone!). It was only a matter of time before major power lines were taken out.
Eskom teams were out in force, but with damage so widespread and much of it in inaccessible gullies on rural land, there were certainly not going to be an quick-fixes.
Local Ward 1 Councillor Levael Davis was eager to sing the praises of the repair crews on the ground “They worked around the clock, but aside from the stormy weather on some days, the terrain they were working in made things almost impossible. There were steep inclines and so much mud, their bakkies were getting stuck and they had no choice but to try to reach the powerlines by foot, carrying all their equipment.”
Having no electricity for so long had a hugely negative effect on local residents, businesses, accommodation establishments and households, but it was when the taps started to run dry that tempers really flared.
Councillor Davis, overwhelmed by the constant stream of calls he has had to field from local residents left high and dry, is furious, and blames Knysna Municipality, demanding accountability from the local authority. “The lengthy water outage in Sedgefield has left many residents, particularly our most vulnerable community members, without access to clean water for several days,” he said, “While the trigger for the outage was a storm-related electricity failure, the collapse of the water supply was entirely preventable. What we witnessed was not a natural disaster but the consequence of serious infrastructure mismanagement.”
He explained that at the centre of this crisis is a backup generator, stationed at the Sedgefield water facility, which was not operational at the time it was needed most. “This is despite the Sedgefield team consistently requesting maintenance support,” he said. “A similar outage in Sedgefield occurred the week prior, but no effort was made to repair the generator. Had this critical piece of infrastructure been properly maintained, water pumps could have continued operating during the power outage, reservoirs would have remained supplied, and residents would have been spared days of unnecessary hardship.”
And he is not alone in his frustration. Sedgefield Ratepayers EXCO are equally frustrated. Chair Kevin Barnes wrote: “The recent water crisis affecting Smutsville, Cola Beach and Myoli is not merely an infrastructure failure – it is a stark warning about the consequences of poor municipal governance, inadequate maintenance and the erosion of accountability in local government.
Residents across these communities have once again found themselves without access to water, a basic human right protected under the Constitution of South Africa. Families, businesses, schools and vulnerable residents are forced to endure the indignity and hardship of dry taps while explanations remain vague and meaningful intervention appears painfully slow.”
He also talked of the unrepaired back up generator being non-operational due to a lack of proper servicing and maintenance.
“This is not bad luck.It is not an unavoidable disaster. It is a failure of management.” he said. “Critical infrastructure does not simply collapse overnight. Pumps, generators and water systems deteriorate when preventative maintenance is ignored, warnings are not acted upon and accountability disappears within administrative structures. Communities are then left to pay the price for negligence through interrupted services, economic losses and declining quality of life.”
“For years, ratepayers across the Garden Route have faithfully met their financial obligations while watching the steady decline of essential services. Roads deteriorate, infrastructure ages, response times slow and basic maintenance becomes reactive rather than preventative. Yet the cost of municipal living continues to rise.”
He said many residents are now asking who carries responsibility when repeated failures occur, despite ongoing complaints and warnings?
“A functioning municipality should not wait for a crisis before acting. Efficient local government depends on competent administration, properly maintained infrastructure, skilled technical leadership and transparent oversight. Most importantly, it depends on elected representatives and officials understanding that they are accountable to the communities they serve. When accountability weakens, service delivery suffers.”
He believes the situation in Smutsville, Cola Beach and Myoli should serve as a broader wake-up call — not only to municipal officials, but to every resident and ratepayer, and that this should be remembered at the local government elections later this year.
“Complaining around dinner tables, on social media or in community groups may highlight problems, but lasting change ultimately requires civic participation,” he said.
“Local government elections are not abstract political exercises. They directly determine who manages water systems, infrastructure budgets, maintenance planning and service delivery priorities. Every vote influences whether municipalities are led by capable, responsive and accountable leadership — or whether communities continue to experience decline.
