Irate residents of the ever plagued community of Trenance Park, Verulam, are brimming with frustration due to constant water outages, among other social ills such as crime and drug abuse, affecting the community for over 30 years.
To draw attention to their plight the residents staged a protest outside the Sizakala office in Verulam on Saturday, 29 January. The peaceful protest was planned by community activist, Dravina Ramai, who said some of the residents have (until the time of publication) been without water for nine days. While some areas experience periodic water interruptions, others are left without water for days. On Friday, 28 January, the entire community was without water for 10 hours. We tried calling our councillor to request water tankers, however, he did not answer his phone nor reply to any messages.
She said when some of the residents don’t have water, those that do try their best to assist. However, with no water and no tankers it was impossible to help anyone. From Saturday to Monday we still experienced periodic outages which created a lot of frustration. Residents kept calling me to voice their concerns. Water is a basic human necessity. Every human being needs it to survive. Our Constitution clearly states that everyone has a right to water. The municipality s lack of urgency to create a permanent solution to the water crisis just shows how little they care about residents of Trenance Park. A water committee was formed last year which helped a lot with the distribution of sponsored water. Without their assistance, many people would have been left without water.
Following all protocol, Ramai said the community protested and voiced their frustration. The protest was indeed a great success. It shed light onto the social ills faced in the community. I am also happy to report that after the protest most of our areas did receive water. However, this is not the only battle to win. The municipality must come up with a solution to a permanent fix. Also, if for any reason the water needs to be shut off, the community must be given a notice early enough and there needs to be adequate tankers so all residents get water.
Another resident, Shiraz Ahmed, said service delivery in the area is very poor. The supply of water to the community has become an ongoing problem. Some residents did not have water for 10 straight days. If water is not the problem then it is the electricity. We sometimes don’t have electricity for two to three days at a time. The community comprises mainly of low-income earners and individuals who are grant recipients. Many individuals are elderly and sickly. The restriction of water to households creates a huge challenge and becomes a burden to people, especially for the reason that we are tax and rate-paying households. People cannot use the toilet, cook and bath. It becomes an inconvenience to the people who need to go to work.
He said he finds it astonishing that Trenance Park is so close to the Hazelmere Dam and reservoir yet the community faces a number of interruptions. It almost seems as if this is some type of sabotage to the community. The constant lame excuse that the reservoir is empty is not a logical one. We sometimes have full pressure and suddenly it s cut off. If the reservoir is indeed empty, then a sudden cut of supply makes no sense.
Ward councillor, Nkosi Mhlongo, said he is aware of the issues facing the community and that it is currently in the process of being resolved. The community needs to work with the councillor to resolve any issues that they are facing. One needs to understand that there are many communities that require the attention of the councillor. Our doors are always open and the community needs to work hand in hand with the councillor,” Cllr Mhlongo said EThekwini Municipality spokesperson, Lindiwe Khuzwayo, said: “Water was restored last week Friday, 28 January. The water issues were as a result of the Trenance 3 Reservoir battling to fill up thus affecting downstream consumers. We ask those still not receiving water to please report water outages by contacting the call centre on 080-131-3013, the toll-free number on 080-311-1111 or use the eThekwini Water and Sanitation WhatsApp number: 073-1483-477.” When asked if the municipality is working on a permanent solution to the crisis, no reply was received by the time of going to print.
