THE iLembe District is one of the hardest hit drought stricken communities in the country and on Friday residents shared some of their experiences with the negative effects of not having water, with some saying the problem could have been prevented.
iLembe residents spoke of difficulties and hardships, with some claiming they had not received running water for up to two weeks at a time.
The country has been plunged in to a water crisis - especially KwaZulu-Natal, which was declared a disaster zone.
Samson Majozi (60) who lives in Lindelani, said the lack of water made life hard.
“I have to walk about 30 minutes out of Lindelani to get to water. We are having a hard time because tankers don't come all the time. When they do, the water gets finished very quickly. It is hot and I feel ill every time I have to make this long journey to get water.”
Another elderly KwaDukuza resident GK Reddy, said the situation is now "terrible".
“They should have told us they have problems. They relayed information too late. We needed to have listened to the warning signs earlier. We have been too apathetic about this matter.”
Sabelo Mfekga (41) who has also made use of a borehole in the iLembe central area comes from Kersney, about 20km from the CBD.
“We are now using the river to get water in the farm [Kersney]. There are no tankers and there is not much else we can do. I wish they could solve this problem. My friends have gotten hurt in the river. There are lots of creatures and they bite and infect us.”
Residents of Shakaville, Lindelani and Stanger Manor, all high lying areas in KwaDukuza have been known to go without water for a week at a time and while tankers are available in the district, much of the time they do not reach these areas regularly. Residents are urged to share their frustrations and experiences with the Weekly by emailing stangerweeklynews@gmail.com
