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Durban Residents Continue to Wait for Solution to Water Crisis

The community members of Ngonyameni, located near Umlazi in Durban, have depended on eThekwini Municipality’s water tankers for the past six years. However, they informed GroundUp that the water supply has been unreliable, forcing some to fetch water from a well situated approximately 300 meters away from their storage containers.

Residents mentioned that the communal taps in their area have been dry since late 2019.

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Over a year ago, GroundUp covered the community’s struggle for water. At that time, the DA in KwaZulu-Natal called for the Human Rights Commission to urgently look into the persistent water crisis affecting various communities under the eThekwini municipality.

The municipality stated that the Mkhomazi Water Project, which encompasses the construction of a dam, is their long-term strategy to tackle the shortage. However, it is not expected to be completed until 2032. The municipality has indicated that the water tankers offer “emergency relief” in the interim.

During the budget speech on Wednesday, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana revealed an allocation of R156.3 billion for water and sanitation infrastructure initiatives, which include the Mkhomazi Project. He mentioned that construction is expected to start in November 2027, transferring water to the Mngeni Water Supply System. This project will increase the total capacity of the system to serve 5 million households in eThekwini and four district municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal.

Ngonyameni is one of many informal areas experiencing rapid population growth. As the water projects are still far off, residents conveyed that they have no option but to rely on the “unhygienic” well.

Upon visiting the area this week, we found pensioner Ayanda Cele and other residents gathering water from the well. She expressed that many rely on the well or purchase water because the water tanks don’t arrive frequently enough.

“We are living in one of the oldest villages under the eThekwini Municipality, yet we continue to be overlooked by the municipality,” Cele stated.

The DA’s spokesperson in the metro, Thabani Ndlovu, criticized municipal officials for disregarding the community’s requests for improved water supply. “The people of Durban must ensure they oust the ruling [ANC] party in the local elections in 2026 to receive adequate and proper service delivery from other political parties,” he urged.

Wisani Baloyi, spokesperson for the Human Rights Commission, acknowledged their awareness of the water issues in the metro. He mentioned that the commission regularly meets with the municipality and various groups to discuss the crisis. “The Commission will persist in monitoring the process of water delivery via tankers within eThekwini,” Baloyi remarked.

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UMngeni-uThukela Water holds a license to extract 470,000 megalitres annually from the uMngeni Water Supply System to service eThekwini and four other municipalities. The Department of Water and Sanitation has determined that the entity exceeded its allowed extraction in 2023.

In a joint statement released two weeks ago by the Department, uMngeni-uThukela Water, and the eThekwini municipality, it was stated that the primary cause of the water supply interruptions is that current demand surpasses the available treated water supply due to a combination of population growth and leaks in the municipality’s water distribution systems.

“In April 2023, the City Council approved a water and sanitation turnaround strategy, which is now being implemented. This strategy includes ring-fencing revenue from water sales for the water function, reducing non-revenue water (NRW), enhancing leak repairs, and disconnecting illegal connections.”

© 2025 GroundUp. This article was initially published here.

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