The spirit of Ubuntu rained heavily upon Chatsworth residents who were affected by the recent water crisis as a number of volunteers and organisations came to their aid.
Chatsworth and Shallcross residents were left without a stable water supply last week after a major leak on a rising main from the Northdene 3 pump station to the Shallcross reservoir was reported. As a result of this leak, the Shallcross reservoir was unable to fill up, causing a strain on downstream reservoirs. The management of Jayson’s Hardware said they prioritised the community’s needs and stationed both their trucks at the Montford Shopping Centre during the day. At nightfall, a truck was stationed on Road 704 while another truck remained at the shopping centre, allowing residents to have access to water throughout the night. Jason Royan of the store said as a close-knit community, there was no option other than to help wherever they could. “As active members of our community, we tried our level best to ensure that Montford and some surrounding areas had water during these trying times. Water is such a valuable resource and for residents to be without water for such a long time is unacceptable. We stood strong together during the state of unrest by assisting the Montford Crime Watch as well as key role-players in the community and we did the very same during this water crisis. Not only did we have trucks stationed at the centre but we also managed to have tankers go into as many areas as they could to assist with water distribution,” he said.
His sentiments were shared by Hassan Mohammed Moosa Hoosen of ZMT Security, who said it was his moral duty to assist his community wherever he could during a tragic time of need. “On the first day that residents were affected by the water crisis, I was at the Moorton Shopping Centre when I saw an empty tanker parked with no driver in sight. I approached the tanker and found the driver who told me that he was going to Isipingo to fill up the tanker. My thoughts at the time were solely focused on the fact that there were so many residents and elderly people without water so I had to help wherever I could.” Hoosen said with parts of Montford, Arena Park and Moorton affected, he managed to obtain tankers for water distribution in the affected areas. “I called up friends and colleagues who helped to procure water tankers for the community. In times of crisis, the more help, the better. It was a relief to see so many companies, organisations and ordinary residents come together in whatever way they possibly could to help one another.”
Meanwhile, volunteers were also out in full force, assisting where they could with the ‘Water Champions’ living up to their name. Pastor Selvan Govender, one of the team members, said that they formed this group during the previous water crisis that Chatsworth faced earlier this year. “The need arose again last week so we got together, manned the location in Silverglen and distributed water to hundreds of vehicles who supplied to different areas in Chatsworth. Residents also came through and filled their containers from a tank that we set up on-site. The team, made up of Kishore, Kogie, Sashen, Krushen, Thavie, Don and a few more, worked from 8.30am to 11pm; ensuring the residents of Chatsworth received water.”
Govender applauded the unity in diversity that brought Chatsworth businessmen and residents together in their time of crisis. “A big shout-out goes to all those who assisted during this time of need. We compliment the humanitarian hearts displayed by all those that were involved to meet the needs of others. God bless all,” he said. Business owner, Ahmed Khan, expressed his heartfelt gratitude towards community forums that, on a voluntary basis, have been playing a vital role in ensuring that residents have water. Khan also raised concern at the minimal effort shown by the municipality towards bringing relief for the affected communities. “If not for the businesses and community groups, many residents would not have even had any water to survive these dry days. We did see tankers coming after the curfew hours but how are residents expected to choose whether they want to leave their homes for water or stay indoors to conform with Covid-19 protocols? This crisis affected our livelihoods and if we do not see a change, Chatsworth will be seeing many more of these crises,” he said.
Businesses, crime watch and community groups as well as religious organisations bent over backwards to serve the community during this crisis. Operation Hydrate of the Day 2 Day Foundation was one of many other organisations that were active in water distribution within Chatsworth and Shallcross. Bilal Khan, coordinator of Operation Hydrate, said: “I would like to express my sincere and heartfelt appreciation to each and every business and individual that came through with your resources to make a difference in our community.” Secretary-General of the Active Citizens Coalition, Mohammed Ismail, said that the constant repair of infrastructure is a band-aid approach to the ongoing issue with no sustainable solution in sight. “Rather than upgrading the age-old infrastructure servicing the massive communities of Chatsworth and Shallcross, we see the eThekwini Municipality repair it on a frequent basis. This is not a sustainable solution. These communities cater to a larger headcount now than it did decades ago so it should be apparent that an upgrade on this outdated infrastructure should be considered. Ratepayers are paying the price, literally, for these repairs. This leaves them without water for days and yet their bills seem to reflect otherwise.”
