In January, Kogie Reddy, a resident of Trenance Park New Phase, showed her stockpile of buckets and bottles used to store water.
Image: Chumani Mazwi
The residents of Trenance Park New Phase in Verulam, north of Durban, are being pushed to their breaking point by ongoing water outages, including a recent grueling 10-day disruption.
57-year-old Kogie Reddy, a single mother whose life has been shattered by the continuous water outages, detailed the immense personal cost of what she called the municipality’s neglect, which has intensified her grief following the recent death of her eldest son.
She linked the physical exertion of hauling water up her steep driveway to his passing.
“My boy, who passed on Easter Monday, had a massive heart attack.
"It’s not easy carrying a 20-litre bucket up my steep driveway,” she explained.
The continuous need to source water placed Reddy, who suffers from arthritis, in constant fear for her own health. “For me to be carrying water all my life, I think I’ll be the next one to get a heart attack and die. I just lost my child, and he was the sole breadwinner in my home.”
For the Reddy household and the estimated 12 affected roads in the area, life came to a halt every time there was a water outage. “They need to really get serious and see what is happening... and our clothes are just piling up; I can’t even put water in the machine.”
The crisis has also created a severe financial strain as Reddy pays a utility bill of approximately R3,500 for a service she is not receiving, while simultaneously incurring expenses to cope.
To provide basic hygiene, the family resorts to boiling water as there was no flow to their geyser.
Dravina Ramai, a Ward 59 community activist and volunteer with the Verulam Water Crisis Committee (VWCC), said the prolonged 10-day outage pushed residents to their limit and were “ready to stage a protest.”
Ramai noted that it was only after volunteers' persistent calls to authorities that a municipal team was eventually dispatched to the TP3 reservoir.
She added that the inspection revealed that “the tower did not have electricity and the pumps were not working.”
The activist explained that the outage, which affected between 500 to 700 homes across 12 roads in Trenance Park, was causing significant emotional, financial, and physical strain, particularly on the elderly and mothers with young children.
“A lady told me that it takes her at least an hour to fill a 5-litre bottle of water because her tap basically drips… She just leaves the tap open the whole day to try and fill whatever she can.” Ramai also pointed out the impact on essential workers, stating that first responders like nurses and paramedics are “not able to bathe when they get home,” she said.
The eThekwini Municipality’s marketing and communications director Mandla Nsele said that the disruption was initially caused by a phase failure at the TP1 reservoir, which supplies TP3.
“Power was restored on Friday, (29 May); however, on the same day, pumps at TP1 developed technical faults,” Nsele said.
He confirmed that while systems recovered overnight, outlets remained closed to build supply levels, and apologised for the inconvenience.
Residents confirmed on Wednesday that most roads had water.
Compounding the frustration, the Verulam CBD on Wednesday emerged from a separate six-day water crisis caused by a burst 375mm asbestos cement pipe on Ireland Street. Repair teams were initially blocked from the site by a property owner who had built a development over the municipal servitude.
Roshan Lil-Ruthan, chairperson of the Verulam Business Forum (VBF), confirmed that the Ireland Street pipeline was finally completed and pressurised on June 3, with 95% of the community receiving water by midday.
Pavershree Padayachee, SAHRC provincial manager in KZN, stated the Commission was addressing water access issues in Trenance Park and other areas. Over the weekend, the SAHRC collaborated with the municipality, which committed to prioritising the situation.
Padayachee noted a rise in water-related complaints following the SAHRC's 2022 inquiry. She emphasised that the Commission continued to monitor its report recommendations and engaged authorities, benefiting from a collaborative relationship with the municpality.
Padayachee pledged the Commission's ongoing support for affected communities.