Residents gathered outside the Phoenix 2 Reservoir on Thursday, 10 September, calling for greater accountability over ongoing water and sanitation challenges in the area and demanding the removal of eThekwini Municipality’s Executive Director for Technical Services, Ednick Msweli.
The protest coincided with a scheduled intervention by eThekwini Mayor Cyril Xaba, who visited the area to address service delivery challenges affecting the Phoenix community, including water and sanitation issues, the replacement of water pipes, the repair of sewer spillages and the fixing of water leaks.
Democratic Alliance Ward 50 Councillor Lyndal Singh said Thursday’s briefing was another example of administrative failure and a lack of accountability towards Phoenix residents. She said she was only informed about the mayor’s visit the night before.
“While residents and DA activists were protesting outside the reservoir, the mayor called councillors and officials for a briefing. He asked us to calm the crowd, but we made it clear that we couldn’t do so because the frustration belongs to residents who have endured ongoing water shortages and poor service delivery for years.
“Instead of taking responsibility and providing residents with clear answers, he appeared to redirect accountability towards the Ward 48 councillor, indicating that she would be conducting oversight and reporting back to the community,” she said.
In August, Singh said she had previously written a letter to the municipality regarding long-term water supply interruptions, which had been ongoing for five years. She highlighted that residents experienced interruptions between 8pm and 5am. She said this routine allowed for planning, but it soon changed, with residents eventually having water supply for only three to four hours in the morning.
“The matter has been repeatedly raised with the Water and Sanitation Department since the beginning, through the Water War Room meetings, departmental communication platforms, written correspondence and follow-up emails. The matter was also raised during a recent face-to-face meeting with departmental officials at the Ottawa Water Works Office.
Despite these repeated engagements, a comprehensive explanation regarding the continued low levels at Phoenix Reservoir 2, the cause of worsening interruptions and the long-term solution has not been provided.”
Singh questioned the current operating level and capacity of the reservoir, the cause of the extended low levels, and what measures were in place to ensure residents and councillors received accurate information regarding reservoir levels, interventions and restoration timeframes.
In response to this letter, the Director of Water Services, Siyanda Mwelase, said that as of 24 August, the reservoir was operating between 77% and 80%. Mwelase said static tanks directly connected to the reticulation system impact reservoir retention time, as do leaks in the system.
