All access routes into and out of Sithembile in Glencoe were blocked on Monday morning, January 12, as frustrated residents staged protests over prolonged water shortages.

Burning tyres and debris were used to barricade roads, bringing traffic to a standstill and leaving commuters stranded.

Water frustration boils over

Ward 4 councillor Mbulelo Pakathi said residents had been without water for weeks and had reached breaking point.

“We alerted Umzinyathi District Council yesterday that people are fed up. They promised to intervene, but we are really upset that incompetence has landed us in this position,” he told the Courier.

Residents said the road closures had prevented taxis from operating, leaving many unable to travel to work.

“We are worried because no taxis are running to and from Sithembile,” one resident said.

The protest has also raised concerns among local businesses.

Linda Els, a Glencoe businesswoman and member of the Endumeni Chamber of Business, said continued service delivery issues were harming an already fragile local economy.

“Issues like this are again impacting the town’s already fragile economy,” Els said.

She added that Glencoe recently lost one of its largest supermarkets, Food Zone, previously Spar, which had served the community for more than 40 years. A drop off in trade was blamed for the closure.

Umzinyathi District Municipality had not commented on the water disruptions at the time of publication.

However, Willie Steenberg of the Endumeni Residents Association said he had held several meetings with Umzinyathi officials and councillors following mounting frustration from residents in Strathmore Park and Glencoe over ongoing water outages and was hoping that a ‘solution would be forthcoming sooner rather than later’.

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