With the Ezakheni water supply having run out and the likelihood that the reservoir supplying Acaciavale, Smartiesville, Aloe Park and Leonardsville will run dry sometime today, 11th hour intervention by uThukela District Municipality technicians, under heavy police guard, has resulted in the water siege being broken.

uThukela issued a water shortage warning yesterday (October 25) after taxi warlords interfered with the operation of the Ezakheni Water Treatment Plant on Monday.

Police are currently still at the Ezakheni Water Treatment Plant and while workers are too intimidated to actually arrive at work, outside technicians (workers from uThukela not living nearby) are busy repairing damage to infrastructure and water is being pumped.

uThukela warn the communities of Ezakheni (Sections A to E), Pieters industrial area, Mthandi, Acaciavale, Smartiesville, Aloe Park, Leonardsville and sections of Steadville that the Ezakheni Water Treatment Plant is still not fully operational owing to the protest action, with pressure being very low.

Water tankers that distribute water to Indaka and other outlying areas have started taking water to outlying areas that have spent the last two days without water.

uThukela spokesperson Jabulani Mkhonza stressed that this is a temporary solution. This is a problem between some community members and the Alfred Duma Municipality.

“The community should not be damaging water infrastructure to resolve grievances. There are many other peaceful ways they can engage with the municipality,” he stressed. “Innocent people are paying the price for a problem not of their making.”

It will take over 48 hours to restore full supply to areas without water, as the water pressure is very low.

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