THE Hillcrest Aids Centre Trust (HACT) is appealing to the community for donations of bottled water, as the Hillcrest area remains one of many affected by ongoing water outages.

The disruption is due to the shutdown of Pipeline 53, which will be in effect until February 22, 2025. According to eThekwini Municipality, the shutdown — implemented on January 26 — is necessary for the relocation of the pipeline while Sanral upgrades the N3 freeway.

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“Umgeni-Uthukela Water has isolated the pipeline for repairs. During this process, there will be reduced flow of potable water to some parts of the City from the DV Harris Water Treatment Plant,” said the City’s spokesperson Gugu Sisilana.

Democratic Alliance eThekwini Exco Member, Andre Beetge, expressed concerns over the crisis, stating that the water shortages have severely disrupted communities across eThekwini. He added that the situation has been met with confusion and poor communication, leaving residents without water for weeks and with no clear course of action or consistent updates.

Many residents report that water supply issues have persisted since the beginning of the year. One resident shared that their household has been experiencing outages in the mornings, with supply returning in the afternoons. “Yesterday, the water was only back for an hour,” they said.

HACT CEO Candace Davidson-Moolman highlighted the severe impact of the water shortages on their centre, which provides care for patients in their Respite (Hospice) Unit. “We are running critically low on drinking water for our patients due to the ongoing water outages. We would greatly appreciate donations of 5L sealed water bottles, as our patients are very ill, and we can only accept unopened bottles,” she said.

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The centre currently relies on a single water tank to keep its units operational. The public is encouraged to drop off bottled water donations at HACT’s reception during the following hours:

• Monday to Friday: 08:00 – 16:00
• Saturday: 08:00 – 14:00