The Democratic Liberal Congress (DLC) has raised concerns over what it describes as ongoing delays in the repair of water leaks across several communities, criticising the City’s approach to infrastructure maintenance and service delivery.
During an oversight visit to Deltapalm Road in Palmview, councillor Patrick Pillay said urgent intervention is needed to address persistent leaks and improve municipal response times to reported faults.
“Water leaks on roads and pavements are unacceptable. Apart from creating a mess in communities, the volume of water being lost through leaks that are not repaired timeously results in thousands of litres being wasted,” said Cllr Pillay.
He added that delayed repairs are placing increasing pressure on residents and contributing to growing frustration among ratepayers. “Community members are frustrated and feel their complaints are not receiving adequate attention. They deserve better service delivery from the City. Political parties should act in the best interests of the communities they represent rather than defend poor service delivery,” he said.
The DLC further criticised claims that Metro Water’s response capacity is limited due to staffing shortages, describing the explanation as unacceptable. According to Pillay, water leaks along Deltapalm Road have reportedly persisted for approximately two months without resolution.
“These ongoing leaks place pressure on reservoirs and contribute to recurring water outages that inconvenience communities. The City’s leadership must prioritise repairs and improve response times,” he added.
Pillay also claimed that municipal water losses exceed 56%, which he attributes in part to delayed maintenance of leaks and infrastructure failures.
He encouraged residents to continue reporting water leaks through official municipal channels and to obtain reference numbers for follow-up. Residents were also urged to forward details to the DLC office to assist with escalation processes.
The DLC office is located at Gem City, TAB Centre, First Floor, and can be contacted on 031 500 2691 for further assistance.
