Poop IN The RESERVOIR: NELSON MANDELA BAY’S Water Infrastructure Left Wide Open To CONTAMINATION

In a stomach-churning failure of basic governance, residents of Nelson Mandela Bay were horrified to discover human faeces being deposited directly into a structure on top of the Glendinning Reservoir — one of the key water storage facilities supplying the metro.

A video circulating on social media shows an unsecured building with an open pipe on the reservoir site being openly used as a public toilet. The footage, which has sparked outrage across the city, raises the terrifying question: could this waste be entering the drinking water system?

This is not a minor oversight. It is a damning indictment of a municipality that continues to fail at the most elementary duty of government: protecting essential infrastructure and public health.

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Swift Action… or Damage Control?

Ward 5 Councillor Terri Stander (DA) raised the alarm after community reports. In her latest update, the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality confirmed:

• Water quality tests at Glendinningvale Reservoir returned 0 E.coli — the water is currently safe to drink.


• The monitoring shaft has been treated.


• The telemetry building has been cleaned and welded shut with a new metal door.

While the municipality deserves credit for responding quickly once the issue was publicly exposed, the deeper scandal is that such a vulnerable point existed in the first place. How does an unsecured structure with direct access to critical water infrastructure remain open to vagrants, criminals, or anyone passing by in 2026?

This incident is not isolated. Nelson Mandela Bay has become synonymous with collapsing service delivery: frequent water shortages, sewage spills into streets and rivers, burst pipes left unrepaired for weeks, and critical reservoirs and treatment plants plagued by vandalism, theft, and neglect.

The Political Reality

Under years of ANC and coalition mismanagement, basic maintenance of water infrastructure has been neglected while cadres and connected contractors benefit from tenders. Essential facilities that should be fenced, guarded, and regularly inspected are instead left exposed — turning critical assets into hazards.

As Cllr Terri Stander rightly pointed out:

“A DA run NMB would ensure all municipal infrastructure is secured and protected to ensure stable and safe water supply.”

This is not just about one reservoir. It is about a culture of indifference. When politicians prioritise political survival, cadre deployment, and ideological battles over basic competence, ordinary residents pay the price — sometimes with their health.

The fact that it took a viral video and public outcry to force action speaks volumes. In a properly run municipality, these sites would be proactively secured, not patched up after the fact.

South Africans are tired of being told to boil water, avoid certain taps, or pray that the next contamination event doesn’t make it into their homes. Clean, safe drinking water is not a luxury — it is a non-negotiable expectation in any functioning society.

The Glendinning Reservoir incident is yet another red flag in a long list of failures. Until voters in Nelson Mandela Bay demand competence over connection, these disgusting and dangerous lapses will continue.

The community did its job by reporting the issue. Now the politicians must do theirs — not with press releases and temporary welds, but with a complete overhaul of how critical infrastructure is protected.

Because no one should have to worry that the water coming out of their tap might contain someone else’s waste.