Johannesburg - Villages in Mpumalanga’s Nkomazi municipality are facing severe water restrictions because rivers are running dry, a spokesperson said on Wednesday.
The Nkomazi and Crocodile rivers were drying up and water pumps were pumping mud, municipality spokesperson Cyril Ripinga said.
“The area is suffering a very bad drought.”
There was still enough water for basic household necessities, but if the situation worsened, 54 villages and four towns would be without water.
Water tanks were being used to supply water.
“The community knows about the situation. It is beyond our control. They can’t be angry at the municipality."
He said some of the business owners in the area had complained about the lack of water.
“We asked them politely to use water sparingly, but then we get told that they pay for the service. They only care about themselves,” he said.
In June, a state of disaster was declared in all the country’s provinces, except Gauteng, due to the drought.
