‘Only one road has been paved’: Life in Burgersdorp, Eastern Cape

Life in the Burgersdorp region of the Eastern Cape, South Africa, is marked by significant infrastructure challenges. The community of Eureka, in particular, struggles with unpaved roads, recurrent power cuts, and an unreliable water supply. Despite the municipality's progress on its financial recovery plan, and a partial write-off of its Eskom debt, these issues persist.

Paul, a local resident, reported that only one road in the community has been paved, while the rest remain dirt roads that have not been graded for nearly seven months. Power outages worsen during windy weather, lasting for days. The water supply is inconsistent, with days of availability followed by days without water. The lack of housing development has pushed some residents to build informal structures on open land, leading to shacks being erected without formal approval.

Employment opportunities in Eureka are limited, with men typically finding work on surrounding farms and women relying on informal piece jobs, often spent quickly on alcohol. A significant literacy problem exists, particularly among women, due to a lack of local schooling options and the need for children to travel to Aliwal North for high school education. This contributes to high dropout rates.

The Municipal Manager for the Walter Sisulu Local Municipality, Khaya Gashi, acknowledged that while electricity and refuse collection coverage are largely universal, new and informal settlement areas present challenges. Water and sanitation access are also close to universal, though source problems can cause intermittent challenges with water supply, particularly in areas like Better Storm.

Gashi noted that much of the electricity network is old and prone to transformer failures, and that roads, stormwater systems, and public lighting in outlying towns are below standard, partly due to poor asset record-keeping. The municipality has partnered with the Department of Public Service and Administration to establish an infrastructure plan for electricity and roads and stormwater, with the project recently finalized and awaiting resource allocation.