Ward 33 Councillor Fran Kristopher has raised the alarm over what she describes as a worsening water crisis in Glenwood and Umbilo, claiming that numerous water meter leaks and burst pipes have remained unrepaired for more than a month despite being repeatedly reported to the eThekwini Municipality.
Kristopher said residents have diligently followed the municipality’s reporting procedures, submitting complaints together with photographs and videos showing treated drinking water flowing into the streets. While reports are acknowledged and reference numbers issued, she said many cases appear to stall, with no job cards allocated and little evidence of repairs being carried out.
“It is deeply disappointing that residents are encouraged to report water leaks in the interest of conserving water, yet the Municipality continues to fail in carrying out its responsibility to repair them,” she said.
Kristopher said that during her two years as ward councillor, she has never witnessed such a significant decline in service delivery within the eThekwini Water and Sanitation Department.
“Communities are routinely assured that burst pipes will be repaired within 24 hours, yet numerous leaks continue flowing unchecked for weeks and, in some instances, for more than a month. How has this become acceptable?” she asked.
According to Kristopher, municipal officials have cited contractor payment disputes, unpaid invoices and a shortage of registered municipal plumbers as reasons for the delays. She said these explanations cannot justify the ongoing loss of millions of litres of treated drinking water while residents continue paying for municipal services.
The concerns are not limited to Ward 33.
Ward 23 Councillor Melanie Brauteseth said several unresolved water leaks have been reported throughout Westville, including Winston Churchill Drive, Hatton Estate, Leeds Crescent, Stafford, Woodside and Birdhurst.
Ward 27 Councillor Ernest Smith said his ward is facing similar challenges.
“I know of leaks on Innes Road near Umgeni Road, Trematon Drive, as well as unresolved water meter issues on Percy Osborne Road,” he said.
Ward 31 Councillor Remona McKenzie said several communities in her ward continue to experience both water supply interruptions and persistent leaks.
Residents in A Block, Aslam Heights, Bazley Avenue, Rippon Road and Asherville have reported water supply problems, while leaks have been recorded on Michan Road, Bazley Avenue, Peter Mokaba Ridge Road, Villa Road, Tarndale Avenue and Knight Road. McKenzie also highlighted an underground leak outside Checksave at the corner of Roselyn and Brickfield roads.
She said a burst pipe on Michan Road that had recently been repaired has already failed again, adding to residents’ frustration.
Ward 26 DA PR Councillor Sharmaine Sewshanker, however, said no water leaks or supply interruptions have been reported in the areas she represents.
The complaints come as eThekwini Municipality and uMngeni-uThukela Water implemented a planned 24-hour water shutdown from 7am on Friday to 7am on Saturday to allow for essential maintenance at the Durban Heights Water Treatment Works.
The work forms part of the rehabilitation of Nagle Aqueducts 1 and 2, which supply raw water to the treatment works. During the shutdown, contractors are installing an isolation valve on Aqueduct 2 and replacing Sleeve Valve No. 2 at the Nagle Mushroom House.
The municipality said the maintenance is essential to improve the reliability and resilience of the City’s bulk water supply system.
The planned interruption has affected numerous areas, including Westville, Dawncliffe, Pinetown, Cowies Hill, Clermont, KwaDabeka, Springfield, Durban North, Phoenix, Chatsworth, Umlazi and surrounding communities.
Meanwhile, the growing number of burst pipes has fuelled speculation among some residents, who allege that contractor plumbers left without work after the municipality appointed five new main contractors may be deliberately damaging infrastructure.
The contractors previously marched to Durban City Hall and municipal depots, protesting what they describe as an unfair job allocation system that has excluded many of them from work opportunities.
Representatives of the contractor plumbers have strongly denied the allegations. Instead, they have claimed the municipality should investigate its own internal plumbing teams, alleging that some officials are shutting valves and damaging infrastructure to generate overtime work.
These allegations have not been independently verified, and the eThekwini Municipality has not publicly responded to them.
The contractor plumbers recently met with eThekwini Mayor Councillor Cyril Xaba to discuss concerns surrounding the new contractor appointment process, job allocations and other issues affecting their work. Following the meeting, Xaba undertook to launch an internal investigation into the allegations and said feedback would be provided to the contractors by Sunday.
Kristopher said residents deserve accountable leadership and a municipality that prioritises service delivery over political and administrative failures.
“The people of eThekwini deserve a municipality that responds, repairs and delivers — one that provides the reliable municipal services residents expect and pay for,” she said.
