IN response to mounting distress over water woes in the city of eThekwini the eThekwini Ratepayers Protest Movement (ERPM) and its partners convened and led a protest at Curries Fountain over the weekend.

Thousands of ratepayers and residents aired their frustration and joined the ERPM to hand a memorandum of grievances to the city’s leadership. The ongoing solidarity campaign aims to bring attention to the “pressing issues” faced by ratepayers and residents of eThekwini.

“The event was also a call to action for those who have had enough of empty promises and lies from politicians,” said Asad Gaffar, the ERPM chairperson.

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The ERPM through the memorandum demanded, among other issues:
•     Redress of historical imbalances and equitable access to water.
•     The municipality to address the failing infrastructure comprehensively and transparently.
•     Demanding that the city recognises and rectifies the injustice of residents paying for air due to repeat extended water outages and pressure regulating practices in the line.
•     The municipality to prioritise the provision of piped water to all communities, including informal settlements. Tanking is an unsustainable, expensive, and inadequate solution that perpetuates inequality.
•     Enhanced reservoir security and monitoring, including 24/7 monitoring of water levels and robust security measures to prevent criminality and protect key infrastructure.
•     Transparent disclosure of the infrastructure surcharge, including total amount collected, allocation of funds, expenditure on specific infrastructure projects and remaining balance
•     Demanding that the water and sanitation budget is ring-fenced to ensure that DWS functions are optimised and supported.
•     Installation of water meters in all consuming areas, including indigent communities, to measure water consumption accurately and ensure fair billing processes.
•     In-house plumbers: The city should embark on a programme to train and upskill the youth in this trade, thereby creating jobs. Contracted plumbers often lack the necessary skills and come at a premium.

Also read: Protesters march on Durban City Hall demanding water

The ERPM has given the City 14 days to respond. “Failure to address these pressing issues will lead to further action, including mass withholding of ratepayers’ payments to this city until a concrete agreement and solution is reached,” concluded Gaffar.

On behalf of eThekwini Municipality, chairperson of the Governance and Human Capital Committee, councillor Nkosenhle Madlala, signed and accepted the memorandum. He confirmed that management would look into the issues raised.

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