Municipal borehole used as source for illegal water sellers
Illegal water sellers siphon water from municipal boreholes or vandalised pipes and sell to unsuspecting residents
WHILE residents of the greater Mtubatuba area live from one day to the next not knowing if there will be water in their taps, some shady characters are using the dire situation to make a living.
Day in and day out people driving trucks with no registration plates and rigged up to transport water, as well as tractors pulling trailers carrying water tanks, connect their pipes to a borehole near the Mfolozi River not far from the treatment plant.
After spilling much of the precious water during the illegal siphoning, they transport the water along dirt roads not patrolled by traffic police and sell their ill-gotten gains to desperate community members in rural Mtubatuba.
This despite three district municipal water tankers tasked with delivering water for free.
The illegal water sellers have a well devised system in place, whereby one person sits sunder a tree near the borehole and whistles to approaching trucks or tractors, letting them know if it is a good time to fill their tanks, or warning them if people who might report them are present.
If not outnumbered, the water sellers will intimidate or threaten violence and even throw stones at officials or members of the public opposed to their dodgy business practices.
The borehole in question is one example of water and sanitation infrastructure in uMkhanyakude District that easily falls victim to vandalism and illegal practices as there are no security or protection measures in place.
Illegal water sellers are constantly being reported to the police but if one is arrested, there are many more who will take his place.
