Water woes in wards 93 and 109 persist
The community of Bhekulwandle has gone for months without a reliable water supply.
WATER outages in Athlone Park and Bhekulwandle seem to be far from over as these communities still spend days without any water despite numerous promises to fix the problem by the municipality.
ALSO READ: Solution to KwaFelekisi water crisis
In Athlone Park, Mabel Smith, said she and other community members have done everything possible to make the problem heard by the relevant authorities, but to no avail.
“Now we can’t even get hold of our councillor, Thuli Zungu. Calls to her phone don’t go through and it seems the line has been discontinued. Is this the service we pay for with these expensive rates every month?” asked Smith.
The SUN tried calling Zungu’s official phone number as listed on the eThekwini Municipality’s website, but it did not go through.
At Bhekulwandle, just outside Doon Heights, the community has not had water since February 28. Water had been restored to the area after the community protested at the gates of Umgeni Water, on January 31. At the time, they had gone for four weeks straight without water.
Londiwe Myeza, the CEO of Seed of Hope, a non-profit organisation that works in the Bhekulwandle community, said the water shortages have been an unsettling reality for the community.
“Water trucks continue to deliver water to the community, but we are trusting God for a permanent solution to this ongoing challenge. On March 5, a leak that has troubled Dr Made Senior Primary School for several months, was attended to and an illegal plumbing connection was discovered. Leaks are a major concern in Bhekulwandle as they deprive many homes of water,” said Londiwe.
The water crisis in the area has been attributed to rapid densification and illegal connections. Seed of Hope staff, volunteers, and beneficiaries have resorted to each bring in 5l of water every day.
Ward 109 councillor, Menzi Manqele’s phone rang unanswered when he was called to provide a comment on the water situation. Emails to eThekwini Municipality had also not been replied to at the time of publishing.
DID YOU KNOW?
Click on the words highlighted in red to read more on this and related topics. To receive news links via WhatsApp or Telegram, send an invite to 061 694 6047 The South Coast Sun is also on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram – why not join us there?
Do you have more information pertaining to this story? Feel free to let us know by commenting on our Facebook page or you can contact our newsroom on 031 903 2341 and speak to a journalist.
(Comments posted on this issue may be used for publication in the Sun)
