Residents of Mangidini Village in Nkandla's Ward 7 express frustration over inadequate service delivery during Human Rights Month. Elderly resident Gabisile Biyela struggles to access medical care due to poor roads and distance to the clinic. Community leaders highlight ongoing challenges with water, electricity, and transportation.
As South Africa marks Human Rights Month in March 2026, residents in Mangidini Village, Ward 7 of the Nkandla Local Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal, report feeling overlooked in basic services. The area lacks electricity, proper roads, and reliable water supply, forcing residents to cross the uMhlathuze River for essential needs.
A poignant example is 91-year-old Gabisile Biyela, who has not received medical treatment for months. Previously attending St Mary’s Hospital, known as Magwaza Hospital, she can no longer walk the over one-hour journey to the local clinic. Her daughter explained the family's predicament: “Mom used to take her medicine at St Mary’s Hospital, commonly known as Magwaza Hospital, but since she can no longer walk, she stopped going. We do not have money to pay people to help us if she has to go to the clinic. We are a family of eight staying in a mud hut, depending on her social grant. Even a wheelchair cannot help because of the condition of our road.”
The family, living in a mud hut and relying on Biyela's social grant, requested an RDP house but received no assistance. Local councillor Vuyani Ngonyama acknowledged the ward's issues, stating: “Our ward is facing so many challenges and I’m aware of our people’s complains, especially road, water and electricity issues but I didn’t know any matter relating to Biyela family therefore I cannot comment on it I will have to ask ward committee.”
Community leader Mzamo Sibiya described funeral transport difficulties: “Our road is bad, we cannot really blame ambulances and hearse drivers for not being able to transport us. If there is a funeral, we make a stretcher with wood that will carry a coffin and be able to cross the river.”
Statistics from StatsSA underscore Nkandla's development gaps: 15% of residents have no schooling, 0.7% reached tertiary level, and 16.8% completed Grade 12. Additionally, 63% of households are female-headed, and 42.1% of homes are mud structures, per 2022 data.