The community of Hambanathi in Tongaat have vowed to keep shining the spotlight on the ongoing water crisis in the area, which was brought on by the floods in April.
On Thursday the community protested by halting traffic flow on the R102 forcing businesses to close their doors amid fears of damages or loss to their stores. Using trees, logs and rocks to block the roads, the protestors also burned a Jojo tank which they said was damaged and unable to store water.
A community elder and one of the protesters, Joseph Mthembu said the community was driven to such acts by government’s failure to keep their promise of sufficient water distribution to Hamabathi and surrounding communities. He said: “The municipality is letting us down. Officials even came to us to help find a solution and we asked them to link a main feed of water to our reservoir but nothing materialised. The supply of water is poor and the situation is getting worse day-by-day. Those in leadership positions are failing to liaise with us.”
The 70-year-old said the number of Jojo tanks in the area is insufficient for the population and that the tanks are not filled regularly. “These protests will continue until we are addressed by an official who is able to put decisions in motion,” said Mthembu.
The public relations officer for the Tongaat Civic Association (TCA), Charles Chetty said the jojos provided were never filled or serviced by the municipality as promised. He said they have offered solutions to the municipality, but it has fallen on deaf ears.
“TCA has made serval doable suggestions such as redirecting water from the Avondale reservoir to the Belvedere reservoir enabling Belvedere residents to get water. A number of alternatives were brought to the attention of the deputy mayor and that protests are as a result of a lack of communication,” said Chetty.
Ward 61 councillor, Dolly Munien said she was disappointed that a service delivery protest led to such destruction. “If the TCA had an issue with service delivery they should have communicated with the councillors. They have not assisted the councillors in any way that could get water to the community more effectively. Today businesses were closed and school was disrupted. The Jojo tanks burnt today were sponsored by caring individuals,” said Munien.
TCA chairperson, Don Perumal said: “I think what’s important to note is following this protest we have more tankers as well as a more transparent distribution system where councillors are putting out a daily schedule making the community aware of exactly where trucks will be. We will, by 26 October, work towards the water treatment plant being completed only to be commissioned and by 15 September possibly have a tie in done from Avondale to Mamba ridge. A working group has been create with various stake holders to keep the community updated regularly.”
In terms of the the razed Jojo tank, Perumal said: “Cracked and collapsed tanks are common. I’ve seen many in our own township of Belvedere. Some can be repaired, some can be cut up and used for other purposes while some can just be discarded as we cannot salvage anything.”
EThekwini municipal spokesperson, Msawakhe Mayisela said the city is aware of the issues facing residents of Tongaat. He said: “The City is doing everything in its power to ensure that water is restored fully to the community. We have deployed water tankers to the area. We have also installed water tanks in the area for all none drinking-related water-use purposes. We ask that the community please bear with us, as we are doing everything in our power to assist residents. Where the City is alleged to have short comings, we are appealing to communities to bring evidence of such to us so these can be addressed and not through protests, as this can misconstrue messages.”
