Ballito and Sheffield hit by holiday water outages amid emergency repairs

Weeks of interrupted water supply over the festive season have left residents and holidaymakers fuming.

Low reservoir levels, heavy rainfall, faulty pumps and valves and delayed maintenance meant water tankers had to be dispatched regularly over the past three weeks.

Sheffield resident Samantha Meyrick said they had had little to no water from Thursday to Sunday in particular.

“It would come on for a few hours and then disappear,” she said.

Siza Water – the local water provider for the area covering 12,5km² from Ballito to Etete – receives a regular bulk supply from uMngeni-uThukela Water (UUW) via the Hazelmere Water Works. The water shortages were due to emergency repairs at Hazelmere Water Works, after a leak affected the Avondale Reservoir, which supplies the entire Siza Water service area.

UUW spokesperson Siyabonga Maphumulo confirmed the unplanned shutdown.

“The command reservoir that supplies iLembe had to be shut down for emergency repairs. This, unfortunately, affected water supply to parts of the district.”

While emergency repairs were underway, Siza Water managed the crisis locally, deploying water tankers from Ballito to Etete and communicating proactively via ward councillors. On Tuesday, Siza Water Group managing director Shyam Misra confirmed that most issues had been resolved.

“Our operational teams have released air at various network points and all consumers should now have access to water, particularly in Sheffield and Salt Rock,” he said.

Misra said most tankers had been demobilised, although limited tankers remain deployed to Shayamoya and Etete.

“Provided that the bulk supply from UUW is maintained and no further technical issues arise, we expect uninterrupted supply. However, as UUW has not yet completed repairs at Hazelmere, we remain in emergency operating mode,” he said.

Intermittent supply may still be implemented if necessary, depending on reservoir levels, to prioritise water availability during peak morning and afternoon hours. Misra thanked residents and ward councillors for their patience.

“We apologise for the disruption and sincerely thank our consumers for their co-operation. Our control room continues to operate 24/7, monitoring reservoir levels and responding to operational needs.”

UPDATE: Tuesday (January 6) afternoon.

UUW and Siza Water have warned residents that a planned shutdown on Wednesday (January 7) could lead to water shortages across most of southern KwaDukuza.

An emergency temporary shutdown of the Avondale pump station at the Hazelmere Water Works will take place from 9am-3pm.

The shutdown is “to undertake an internal inspection of the Avondale pump station suction main due to a suspected leak on the pipeline,” said Maphumulo.

Potentially affected areas include Zimbali, Ballito, Chaka’s Rock, Salt Rock, Sheffield Beach, Foxhill, Umhlali, Shakaskraal, Etete, Nkobongo, Shayamoya, Shaka’s Head, Groutville and Tinley Manor.

Siza Water said they will try and fill all reservoirs this evening to avoid shortages, but that interruptions were a possibility.

“UUW have informed us that they will still be able to supply us with reduced supply via an alternative pump station and Siza Water has already engaged with service providers to have limited tankers on standby to assist in the event of any interruptions,” said Misra.

“We will keep you updated during the shutdown and make our best efforts to minimise the inconvenience to consumers.”

Residents are urged to use water sparingly during the shutdown.

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