A coalition of ratepayers and civic organisations from around eThekwini has given the city 14 days to respond to their demands regarding the ongoing water crisis. The crisis has been affecting not only Tongaat and Verulam but all of Durban as well.
The protest, led by the eThekwini Ratepayers Protest Movement (ERPM), took place at Curries Fountain in Durban on Saturday, 1 March. Representatives from several ratepayer associations converged to demand urgent action from the eThekwini Municipality. With the backdrop of growing frustration over service delivery and financial management, the protesters handed over a memorandum detailing their demands, threatening a rates boycott if their issues were not addressed within 14 days.
Chairperson of the ERPM, Asad Gaffar, said that due to the growing trust deficit between the ratepayers and the city, it has become necessary to table the demands to ‘course-correct’ and ensure the city functions optimally.
Representing the eThekwini Municipality and accepting the memorandum was chairperson of the governance and human capital committee, councillor Nkosenhle Madlala, who said the municipality would look into the list of demands.
The memorandum presented by ERPM lists several specific demands. These include equitable access to water, prioritisation of piped water in all communities, including informal settlements, and comprehensive and transparent repairs to the city’s water infrastructure. This includes setting clear timelines, allocating proper budgets and instituting performance metrics with robust ratepayer oversight.
Furthermore, ratepayers demand a transparent breakdown of the infrastructure surcharge, including the total amount collected and a detailed account of how these funds are being utilised. They also call for water and sanitation budgets to be ring-fenced to ensure funds are used strictly to improve these essential services.
In addition, protesters suggested that plumbing services should be brought in-house rather than outsourced. They argued for training programmes to upskill local youth, which would both create jobs and ensure better maintenance of the infrastructure. The memorandum also stressed the need for skilled personnel, whether from national or international pools, to oversee technical aspects and ensure that contracts and budgets are managed with maximum accountability.
The protesters hope to see the establishment of robust mechanisms for contracts, project completion and budget allocation as vital for ensuring transparency and safeguarding ratepayer interests.
The protest was marked by a series of strong statements from representatives of various ratepayer associations. The Verulam Civic Association’s Dhanashwar Basdew demanded solutions to the problems. He claimed that the water infrastructure system was outdated. His fellow Verulam Civic Association member, Ntuli Mthiyane, said that the crisis has no race or colour discrimination as everyone is affected. However, the situation is especially dire for those with chronic illnesses.
Phoenix Civic and Ratepayers Association member, Alice Govender, said the municipal fault line and the financial department were ‘leaking.’ “We have a leaking system. We are in a swamp. The civics and ratepayers must drain the swamp. The divide and conquer strategy no longer works. We stand united as ratepayers and civics. Today is evidence of that.”
Voices from Overport, Bluff, Chatsworth, Musgrave and Sydenham, among others, echoed similar sentiments. Their collective outcry centred on the systemic failures in water delivery, lack of fiscal transparency and the mismanagement of resources that have left ratepayers feeling disrespected and abandoned.
