Being without water – a basic service – for days on end and facing constant interruptions and low pressure, are a recurring nightmare for the Glenhills community in Stanger.
Describing the water crisis, residents of Happy Valley, a section of Glenhills, claim they are the worst affected.
Gathering on the road to speak to the Courier, frustrated residents complained the water situation has continued to deteriorate in recent years.
“Sometimes parts of Glenhills have water and others do not. I walk to standpipes to collect water in buckets and when it rains we collect rainwater.
Also read: Tempers rise over Glenhills water
“The tankers deliver water to us but at odd hours like 11 pm at night when most people are sleeping. When the water comes back, it is usually also later at night and goes off again early the next morning.
“I would like to find out from the Ilembe mayor if he would stand outside his house at 11pm for water.
“Interruptions happen almost every day,” said mother of seven, Nokuthula Gumede.
What has been labelled a crisis by residents has also sparked heated confrontations between the ANC Glenhills Ward 13 councillor Rabi Singh and the Glenhills Civic Association led by Rishi Pooran.
Recently, the Civic Association and about 40 Glenhills residents protested outside the councillor’s home, burning tyres on the road.
This led to a fight between Pooran and Singh’s daughter who is also an IFP councillor.
The woman had allegedly tried to slap Pooran for disrespecting her father.
However, Pooran said he will continue to stand for Glenhills residents.
“The water crisis started in 2015 when this community was left without water for almost a month.
“Last year, we spent a week without water in the peak holiday season. Rabi Singh is a bully who does not support anything or anyone that challenges him and his work in this community. He tried to disband the civic body and bullies residents who complain. The reality is that Happy Valley is forgotten.
“Most of the roads in this ward are pathetic and riddled with potholes. Despite people being desperate for water, leaks continue to go unfixed. Ilembe municipality has blamed this on ageing infrastructure but other areas are attended to, why not this one?”
However, councillor Rabi Singh said the situation in Glenhills was not a crisis. He said provisions were being made to supply water to homes and that the water problem would be fixed by October this year.
“The Glenhills area grew rapidly and the reservoir cannot supply water to this many residents. Nothing can happen overnight and Ilembe municipality is replacing the infrastructure and fixing leaks.
“Ilegal connections or when people leave the standpipes running sees that other residents experience low pressure. I am in contact with residents and I phone them every morning to find out if there is water, if there is not, I request tankers.”
Singh said the Glenhills Civic body do not represent the people and was not properly elected.
He said Pooran wants to see him removed as councillor and that his ‘mischief’ was a cheap attempt to get into politics.
He accused him of inciting the protest outside his house to disrupt a prayer.
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