Thousands of Durban residents were left without water following the sabotage of municipal infrastructure.
Thousands of Durban residents were left without water from Friday following widespread sabotage of eThekwini municipal water infrastructure.
In a public notice, the municipality revealed the scale of the impact, pointing out that close to 30 roads have been affected by the sabotage caused by the shutting down of water valves in many parts of the city. The Mercury has been informed that the sabotage could be related to a dispute over the new method of appointing plumbers in the eThekwini Municipality.
The city had to change its plumber appointment process following AGSA's concerns about the previous method. Previously, the municipality hired plumbers directly, but the Auditor-General of South Africa (AGSA) raised concerns about this practice, and the city was directed to hire contractors who would then provide plumbers to work. The Mercury learned yesterday that some plumbers were meeting with government officials to understand the new appointment process.
DA councillor in the Westville area, Debbie Baker, spoke of the residents’ anger. “They are frustrated, shouting, and screaming. This was definitely sabotage because valves were closed on many roads at the same time,” she said. She said while water had been restored in some areas, other areas were still without water, and restoration had been delayed further by burst pipes that the municipal teams were not responding to.
