The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in the Eastern Cape have thrown their full support behind the residents of Qunu, who on 18 August 2025 blocked the N2 between Mthatha and Dutywa. The protest revealed a desperate five-year struggle without access to clean water, which the EFF blames on ANC corruption, cadre deployment, and failed service delivery.
- Qunu Residents Shut Down the N2
On 18 August 2025, residents of Qunu blocked the N2 between Mthatha and Idutywa, demanding clean water and dignity.
- Five Years Without Water
For half a decade, villagers have relied on unsafe streams, costly purchases, or gone without water altogether.
- Broken Promises from Local Leaders
The King Sabata Dalindyebo Municipality and OR Tambo District have made empty pledges and launched projects that failed to deliver.
- R4 Billion Project Yields Nothing
The “Biggest Water Project in O.R. Tambo” has not brought a single drop to Qunu taps despite its massive cost.
- Thornhill Plant Upgrade Questioned
Authorities boasted of increasing capacity from 80 to 115 million litres per day, yet Qunu residents still queue at dry standpipes.
- R288 Million Allocation Unaccounted For
The Regional Bulk Infrastructure Grant set aside this amount in 2025, but the village remains dry.
- Tanker Tender Profiteering
EFF says ANC-linked syndicates profit from water tankers while families fetch river water.
- Province-Wide Water Failures
Communities in Butterworth, Mbizana, Engcobo, and Sterkspruit also face collapsed infrastructure and broken promises.
- Distant Promises from Government
Premier Oscar Mabuyane pledged to increase piped water access by 2030 and announced R3.5 billion in funding, but delivery lags.
- EFF Calls for Accountability
EFF vowed to escalate the issue nationally, urging Eastern Cape residents not to reward ANC “betrayal” at the polls.
The EFF says Qunu’s water crisis reflects a wider provincial collapse in service delivery. It insists that without accountability, Eastern Cape communities will remain trapped in poverty, dry taps, and broken promises.
