It’s home to Rhodes University, three elite private schools, the Eastern Cape High Court, and the legendary National Arts Festival. Years of bungling by the Makana Local Municipality have left the town in tatters, BusinessTech reported. The rot was impossible to miss during July’s National Arts Festival, when visitors arriving after dark were greeted not by cultural brilliance, but by cratered streets and near-total blackout conditions. Rhodes University, with its 9,000 students and massive rates bill, is building its own borehole-powered treatment plant just to cope. “A significant challenge facing the university is the unreliable water supply from the Makana municipality,” said deputy vice-chancellor Professor Mabokang Monnapula-Mapesela in July.