Residents on the KZN South Coast battle with inconsistent water supply but there are major water leaks which Ugu District Municipality is hesitant to fix.
Concerned residents said that for months, they have been reporting a burst pipe that is wasting lots of water over the Umzimkhulu River near the Sugarmill road.
Ugu’s municipal spokesperson Mondli Ngcobo said the municipality is aware of the water leak.
He said that should the line be closed for repairs, residents in Hibberdene, Woodgrange, Louisiana, Umtentweni and Sea Park will not have access to water until repairs are complete.
“Ugu District Municipality prioritises our community and residents’ rights to have uninterrupted water services,” he said.
However, some residents in Hibberdene told The Witness that they have been without water since Friday, October 1.
Another resident in Harding, Nompumelelo Ntshangase, said it broke her heart to hear people complaining about being without water for two days when they go for months without water.
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Moodley added that for her family, it has been months of carrying buckets of water from kind people who have boreholes in the area. “I wish Ugu would come to Harding and see how the basic right of water has been denied to us all, and see our people suffering. It feels as if we don’t count as people.”
Meanwhile, Ugu’s Mondli Ngcobo said the municipality’s water services unit is busy doing assessments to determine the extent of repairs needed at the leak over the Umzimkhulu River.
He said the repairs required the professional services of a contractor. Ngcobo added that once a contractor has been appointed, repairs will start.
