Hundreds of residents and businesses across Phoenix were left high and dry during a prolonged water crisis, with many households enduring days without running water before a planned municipal shutdown even began.
While eThekwini Municipality announced a 24-hour water interruption last week to allow uMngeni-uThukela Water to carry out maintenance on the Northern Aqueduct supplied by the Durban Heights Water Treatment Works, many residents alleged that their taps had already run dry days earlier, leaving them without the essential service for well over a week. For some residents, the ordeal began as early as 12 July.
Speaking to the Phoenix Tabloid, Maya Chotkan of Eastbury said she last had running water on 12 July.
“We briefly had water on 13 July before it stopped again. We haven’t been able to do any washing, clean our home, have a proper bath or even flush our toilets. Since the outage started, water tankers have only come to our area twice. I’m 65 years old and live on the third floor of a six-family flat, and I want to know what happens to the elderly who cannot carry heavy buckets of water? How are we expected to survive without water for two full weeks when it’s an essential service that we pay for every single month?” questioned Chotkan.
She said the last two weeks had been a nightmare, with residents living in constant uncertainty and not knowing when the water would return.
“We wake up every day forced to plan our lives around an unreliable water supply. It’s exhausting and very frustrating. Our municipal bills arrive on time, yet we’re forced to spend more money buying bottled water just to survive. Is that fair? The municipality needs to wake up. We are tired of paying for services we are not receiving,” said Chotkan.
Grove End resident Wendy Haripersad described the water crisis as unbearable, saying residents had reached breaking point.
“We have been without water for more than a week, but unfortunately this is nothing new. We regularly go for days without water, an essential service and basic human right, yet I have never seen a water tanker in our area. We leave for work in the morning with no water and return home to exactly the same situation. While many parts of Phoenix experience water interruptions at night, Grove End appears to be far more severely affected, and no one can explain why. When the water does return, it is usually only between about 5.30 am and 8.30 am, and the pressure is so low that our showers don’t even work,” she said.
Haripersad also criticised the lack of communication from local councillors.
“Our ward councillor has shown little interest in communicating directly with residents through community groups. Instead, someone else posts videos on her behalf telling residents to store water, but that is unrealistic when there is hardly any water available to store. We are working people and this ongoing crisis is taking a serious toll on our daily lives and our mental wellbeing. We cannot prepare proper meals, keep our homes clean or carry out basic household tasks.
My 80-year-old neighbour lives alone and is struggling to cope. It’s frustrating that ratepayers continue to be neglected while still being expected to pay for utility services every month. We are tired of simply accepting the situation. We want answers, accountability and transparency from those responsible,” Haripersad added.
Initially, the widespread water outages were linked to the alleged sabotage of eThekwini Municipality’s water infrastructure.
In a public notice, the municipality revealed the scale of the disruption, stating that nearly 30 roads across the city had been affected after water valves were deliberately shut off. According to reports, the alleged sabotage stemmed from a dispute over the municipality’s revised system for appointing plumbers.
The City was forced to change its appointment process after the Auditor-General of South Africa (AGSA) raised concerns about the previous practice of appointing plumbers directly. It has since been directed to appoint contractors, who would then provide plumbers to carry out the work.
However, independent plumbers have reportedly rejected the new arrangement, arguing that being absorbed under main contractors would reduce them from business owners to employees while negatively affecting their income.
Another frustrated resident, Sharleen Chetty of Stanmore, said the ongoing water crisis had become intolerable.
“Our area and surrounding communities have been facing an acute shortage of water for a long time. Every member of society has been affected by the lack of water, which is one of the most basic human needs. It has had a devastating impact on schoolchildren preparing for school, working people trying to get to work and families simply trying to maintain proper hygiene and sanitation. Numerous complaints and faults have been reported to the relevant departments, yet no lasting solution has been provided by the municipality. Instead, we are suddenly faced with planned water shutdowns with little or no advance notice,” she said.
“There are hundreds of unattended water leaks across Phoenix, some of which have remained unrepaired for months, all at the expense of ratepayers. It is deeply concerning that residents continue to bear the financial burden of the municipality’s ongoing failures, poor infrastructure maintenance and lack of service delivery. Our utility bills continue to climb every month, yet the standard of service continues to decline. We are paying more and receiving less, and residents have simply had enough,” said Chetty.
Meanwhile, eThekwini Mayor Cyril Xaba appealed to communities to help protect the City’s water infrastructure amid suspected vandalism that continues to contribute to water supply interruptions.
“The City continues to work around the clock to address water supply interruptions affecting various communities. I appeal to members of the public to refrain from interfering with critical water infrastructure. The City recently responded to an incident involving interference with infrastructure in Westville, and we remain concerned about ongoing vandalism affecting infrastructure in Ntuzuma and KwaMashu,” he said.
Xaba said these criminal acts were contributing to prolonged water outages, disrupting essential services and costing the municipality millions of rand that could otherwise be invested in improving service delivery.
“We call on all residents to protect our water infrastructure and report any acts of vandalism or suspicious activity to the relevant authorities. Safeguarding these vital assets is a shared responsibility,” he added.
The eThekwini Municipality recorded Non-Revenue Water (NRW) losses of 65% during June 2026 and is currently attempting to address approximately 12 000 reported water leaks across the city.
Residents can report water-related faults by calling 080 311 1111 or emailing eservices@durban.gov.za. A reference number will be issued, which can then be provided to the relevant ward councillor for escalation. Alternatively, faults can be logged through the eThekwini Municipality app.
