Behind-the-scenes: the water tanker team sustaining Rhodes University
Date Released: Mon, 19 January 2026 09:32 +0200By Ayathandwa Tsili
As the city of Makhanda navigates the complexities of a protracted water crisis, which includes ageing municipal infrastructure, four dedicated members of the Rhodes University community begin their labour before the first light of dawn. Their mission is fundamental: to ensure that the "lifeblood" of the institution – its water – continues to flow during frequent municipal outages.
Zondisile Hamilton Plaatjies, David Khonza, Xoliswa Mbhiza, and Xolani Williams are the operators of the University’s water tankers. Their hands move with the assurance of men who have done this for years. They inspect valves, walk around the trucks, test the pumps, and check their belts and fittings. These small rituals keep Rhodes University running. They are not lecturers or managers, and students rarely see them. Yet their work is vital - without them, Rhodes University would not be able to function during extended outages. They are, in every sense, the quiet water heroes of the campus.
Years of service and daily sacrifice
Each member of the team carries a long history of service that has shaped the rhythm and strength of their work.
Mr Zondisile Hamilton Plaatjies has served for 21 years. Calm, measured, and often the first to step forward when things become difficult, he is known for a quiet leadership that anchors the team. “It is our daily bread,” he says. For him, this is not just a job; it is a commitment.
Mr David Khonza, with 19 years under his belt, has been a stabilising force. As he steps into retirement, his legacy stretches behind him, marked by the many crises he helped the university survive.
Mr Xoliswa Mbhiza, a driver and team leader in his own right, brings versatility and skill to the team.
And Mr Xolani Williams, now marking a decade of service, represents the next wave of dedication, combining experience with youthful endurance.
Together, these four men have carried Rhodes University through some of its most testing years. Their collective memory holds stories of late-night emergency calls, days that stretched into nights, and peak crises when the only thing louder than the tanker engines was the anxieties of a campus running out of water.
A campus in crisis, a team in motion
The work of the water tanker team is shaped not by routine but by urgency. Makhanda’s water outages are often unpredictable, prolonged, and severe. The team has experienced periods where parts of the city remained dry for days and others for weeks. In such times, their work becomes the difference between order and chaos.
During the extended water shortage in 2024 and again last year, when the June exam period coincided with a nearly two-week outage, the team was stretched beyond its usual capacity. Students were writing papers, labs needed water, residences were overflowing with stress, staff were desperate, and hygiene became a growing concern. Yet life on campus continued, quietly sustained by these four men who refused to slow down.
They often worked from 8am until after sunset, making repeated trips to designated water points. The tankers would leave full and return empty within an hour or two. Each round was followed by another. On some days, they made more than three trips each – an exhausting cycle of driving, pumping, filling, and checking.
Their lunch breaks disappeared. Meals were taken on the trucks as there was little time for rest. Their dedication kept the University running despite ongoing challenges, and students and staff have access to water. They just don’t stop.
The work is physical and mentally demanding. There are no shortcuts. Tankers are heavy, hoses are stubborn, and pressure changes constantly. Every drop must be accounted for. The margin for error is small, especially when thousands depend on accuracy.
Invisible work that keeps others going
Students seldom consider the journey water takes to reach their taps, showers, dining halls, or study areas during outages. Complaints rise quickly when water runs out, and understandably so, but few understand the labour that precedes every refill.
The team often begins the day with a walk across campus to survey tanks. A tap that only gurgles, a student reporting a dry bathroom, or a dining hall manager growing anxious – these are the signals that direct the next tanker load. Every location has different usage patterns, and the team has become intimately familiar with them over time.
Residences with large student populations require more frequent restocking; dining halls must never run out of supplies; laboratories depend on water to maintain safety protocols; and library toilets cannot remain out of order, especially during exam sessions.
“There was one day during exams,” Plaatjies recalls, “when we had to refill the same residence twice before lunch. Students were stressed, and we could feel that pressure.” But he does not describe it as frustration. To him, it is simply part of the responsibility they carry.
The team works with a sense of both urgency and pride. They know that their work makes everything else on campus possible. Without water, no meal can be served, no class can function, no laboratory can operate safely, and no residence can remain open.
In this way, their work sits at the foundation of the university’s resilience. It is invisible to many, but essential to all.
Team culture: a brotherhood forged under pressure
Despite the pressure, there is a strong sense of unity among the men. Their long years together have forged a bond that enables them to face the toughest days.
As he prepares to retire, Khonza’s advice to newer staff reflects the team’s values: “Listen to the driver. Work together. Make sure the supply continues.” It is simple advice, but it carries the weight of experience.
Their teamwork is not loud or boastful. It is found in the small moments – when one man helps lift a heavy hose without being asked, when another quietly fixes a pump before the others arrive, or when they share a few jokes at the back of a truck to lighten a stressful day.
This culture of mutual respect allows them to operate under immense pressure without losing focus. They trust one another. They understand that each tanker load is part of a larger mission. And they know that the university depends on their ability to work as one.
Honouring the humans behind the water
When people speak about “Rhodes University’s resilience”, they often credit systems, strategies, or leadership decisions. But resilience, in this case, has human faces.
It is the face of Plaatjies keeping steady control of a tanker in difficult conditions.
It is Khonza, with 19 years of quiet commitment, stepping into retirement with dignity.
It is Mbhiza, skilfully coordinating routes and delivery points.
It is Williams, carrying the next decade of responsibility with determination.
Their story is not loud. It does not demand applause. But it does invite recognition.
In moments of crisis, heroes are not always the ones in front of cameras or behind podiums. Sometimes, they are the ones who climb into tanker trucks before sunrise, return after dark, and carry a university on their backs without expecting acknowledgement.
Rhodes University continues to function through Makhanda’s water failures because these four men show up every day with determination, endurance, and quiet pride.
Their work is essential.
Their contribution is immense.
And their story deserves to be known.
Source:The Division of Communication and Advancement