In response to persistent water losses and infrastructure decay across the city, the Democratic Alliance (DA) staged a peaceful picket on the R102, demanding that the eThekwini Municipality take immediate action to address leaks and service delivery failures.
The demonstration was strategically positioned at the intersection between Ottawa and Verulam to maximise visibility across the northern regions of the municipality, a corridor heavily impacted by recent supply interruptions.
Ward 102 Councillor, Rory Macpherson, noted that the chosen location serves as a critical artery connecting Ottawa, Parkgate, Verulam, and Tongaat. Macpherson stated that the city currently loses approximately 60% of its treated water to leaks and illegal connections—a staggering figure that reportedly costs ratepayers billions of rands annually.
“There are families in this region who have been without constant running water for as long as five years,” Macpherson highlighted, emphasizing the human impact behind the technical statistics.
During the protest, Macpherson called for greater accountability from municipal leadership, specifically questioning the performance of the city manager and the current administration. He argued that the proliferation of water tankers is a symptom of a failed system.
“The number of tankers in the city now appears to outweigh the presence of police vehicles,” Macpherson remarked, suggesting that the reliance on mobile water delivery has become a permanent, yet inefficient, fixture.
He further criticised recent municipal spending priorities, specifically referencing the construction of statues across the city. Macpherson challenged residents to consider the value of such monuments when compared to the basic necessity of running water, questioning whether public funds are being diverted from critical infrastructure to symbolic projects.
The demonstration followed the KZN Budget Speech, where Finance MEC Francois Rodgers allocated R168.2 billion for the 2026/27 financial year. However, Macpherson cautioned against over-reliance on provincial funding, noting that the maintenance of city-specific water infrastructure remains the responsibility of the eThekwini municipal budget.
He pointed out that 40% of the city’s uncollected debt is attributed to water—a financial gap he believes must be closed to fund essential infrastructure restoration.
