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Coldstream residents say they lack clean water since 2015

Published

Residents of Coldstream in the Eastern Cape say brown tap water, drug abuse and unemployment leave them feeling forgotten. Community leader Gert van Staden says the Kou-Kamma pipeline has not properly supplied the township for years.

Coldstream is in Kou-Kamma Local Municipality and has fewer than 500 residents. Brown tap water is also a problem in nearby Storms River, which is 15km away. Van Staden says the water supply comes and goes.

A local review in May 2026 gave Kou-Kamma a Blue Drop compliance rate of 22%. That ranked the municipality third-last in the Eastern Cape. The review also says old asbestos water and sanitation pipes harm health and cause water losses.

Ivonne Busabwe earns R1 088 from the Expanded Public Works Programme. She travels 50km to Plettenberg Bay to withdraw her wages. She said she will not vote for the ANC again.

Kuzamakwethu Wulana says the only hope comes from nearby farms and firms, which he alleges are exploitative. Kou-Kamma and the Department of Water and Sanitation had not responded to requests for comment.

Key facts

Who
Gert van Staden (Coldstream community leader); Kuzamakwethu Wulana (Coldstream resident); Sibusiso Adams (young resident of Storms River); Ivonne Busabwe (resident receiving Expanded Public Works Programme wages)
When
20 October 2026
Where
Coldstream, Kou-Kamma Local Municipality, Storms River
Status
Reported

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