Rhodes University has suspended lectures for undergraduate programmes amid a water crisis in Makhanda, Eastern Cape.
In turn, the students and staff marched to the Makhanda local municipality, demanding water supply after a weeklong of dry taps.
Sizwe Mabizela, Rhodes University vice-chancellor, said the university had also been discussing self-reliance but was challenged by the majority of students and staff members who do not reside within the university premises.
He said this discussion has been set aside on another consideration that the whole community needed the basic water supply and the university could not only fend for itself.
He said the municipality needed to consider the economic impact this was having on Makhanda as the university contributed largely to its gross domestic product.
Weeklong water disruptions
“It has been more than a week that we have not had water. Our students, our staff, and the greater Makhanda community have been put in a dire situation,” said Mabizela.
“We are marching to assert our constitutional rights. Our humanity and our dignity have been trampled by our local municipality, and they just don’t care.”
He said lack of water negatively impacted study conditions and individual hygiene as they are deprived of access to water and sanitation as a human right.
“If this university is not able to operate fully and effectively, not only will the town be destroyed, the people of this will be in dire circumstances.
“So, we are here to say that we really care about our university, our schools, and this town— but we really care about our future.
Municipality points to sabotage
Mtutuzeli Matyumza, the speaker at Makhanda local municipality, said the complaints were not a secret and emphasised that there was no life without water.
He insisted that the water crisis was due to “sabotage”.
“We have detected, and we are going to act against those who are sabotaging human rights,” said Matyumza.
“We are not going back; we are going forward in ensuring that water is actually distributed to you.”
