Water interruptions have continued into its second week. Some residents in Estcourt are in dire straits as there has been no water in their homes since April 12 and after this weekend, the water interruptions have also affected other areas, including a primary school.

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Speaking out about the water cuts, a resident from a household in Forderville that has not had water for more than two weeks described the situation as ‘ridiculous’. Rattling off the names and numbers of people at Uthukela District Municipality she has called, the resident concludes, that not a single person has provided a solid answer about the cause of the water cuts or when the water will be restored.

This sentiment is widespread among the community, with some saying that uThukela staff members have resorted to turning off their phones.

“We are so frustrated, we don’t know what to do anymore,” commented one resident from Pansy Place. During the past weeks, the water tanker has come to our area three times. The Jojo tanks that people have are also running dry. How are we expected to live like this?” commented the resident.

Another resident from Hydrangea Road described the water interruptions as ‘frustrating’ adding that residents had run out of options about who to contact to answer questions.

On Monday morning, learners, educators and support staff at ML Sultan Estcourt Primary School were also met with a waterless start to the week. Taps were dry when school started for the day and Principal Mr Zuma says that this is a ‘serious problem.’

“It’s a very tough day without water and it disrupts learning and teaching. We are relying on the generosity of the Al-Imdaad Foundation that provided water to the school on Monday morning,” said Mr Zuma. He said one of the greatest challenges the school faces when water interruptions plague, is whether to send the learners home.

“Between 80 to 90 percent of our learners are transported to school. When we arrive at school in the morning and find that there is no water, we sometimes have no choice but to send the children home. It becomes a challenge to communicate with parents or taxi drivers.
“In some instances the drivers may fetch the children, leave them somewhere while they are busy with their work and the children are left loitering,” explained Mr Zuma.

He pleads with the district municipality to address this ‘serious problem’ of water cuts.

“If it is possible, uThukela should arrange to have water delivered to schools, so learners do not lose a day and we don’t have any logistical problems to transport learners back home,” he concluded.

uThukela District Municipality was again contacted to answer questions from residents and supply a reason for the water cuts and a possible date for the water restorations, no response was received.

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