UPDATE: Which areas are affected by the water crisis?
Relief supply is being organized for the affected communities, and exact locations of static tanks will be communicated once confirmed.
UPDATE: May 30, 12.30pm
The latest update from Ugu, as posted on the Ugu Talk Facebook page:
“The struggle of water supply interruptions experienced by various communities continues as the illegal work stoppage by the municipal workers is imminent.
The predicament the municipality is experiencing now is the extreme shortage of resources to ensure the resuscitation of systems for normal water supply to be resumed. Customers are hereby requested to note in good spirit that management is working on the ground in doing everything humanly possible to get operation back to normal.
Currently these are the affected areas: Port Shepstone, Marburg, Uvongo, Ramsgate, Nositha, Southport, Anerley, Melville, Murchison, Albersville, Shelly Beach, Margate, Gamalakhe, Umtentweni, Sea Park, Pumula, Hibberdene and Bhobhoyi.
The municipality has organized water tankers to urgently provide relief supply to hospitals which will be followed by the supply of clinics and schools.
Relief supply is also being organized for the affected communities. And due to limited static tanks, not all mentioned streets and areas will be provided with static tanks. Mobile community members are urged to meet the municipality half way and collect water from the nearest static tank to their households. Exact locations of static tanks will be communicated once confirmed.
It has come to the attention of the municipality that some communities are collecting water from boreholes. We urge these communities to have these boreholes tested first for safety by our Environmental Health Services before any consumption.
The communities that still do have water are urged to use it as sparingly as possible. The Municipality does sincerely apologize to all the affected customers and we urge for your understanding and patience while we work towards restoring supply.”
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UPDATE: May 29, 4.30pm
The latest update from Ugu, as posted on the Ugu Talk Facebook page:
“Please note that a bit of progress has been made towards the resuscitation of the affected supply networks today.
Three incidents of tampering with infrastructure were discovered and rectified this afternoon.
A valve in the chamber feeding the Umzimkhulu supply system was closed. It has since been opened and we have started pumping into the Umzimkhulu Reservoir which will remain closed until it is filled to its maximum. Therefore normal water supply to the areas of Umtentweni, Melville up to Hibberdene is expected to resume later tomorrow if no further tampering occurs.
The pipeline to Marburg was also found to have been tampered which has since been rectified. We have commenced with pumping into the Marburg Reservoirs which feed the Marburg Industrial Area, Oslo Beach, Esperanza and Boboyi/Jesus among other. Most areas should receive water by tomorrow if no further tampering occurs.
In Seaslopes, a scour valve was found open which has also been closed. The network will be built up overnight and the greater part of tomorrow. In the interim, water tankers will be providing relief supply till the system is fully operational.”
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UPDATE: May 29, 4pm
Ugu District Municipality has released the followings statement via its Facebook page, Ugu Talk:
“We have noted that union leadership of SAMWU have embarked on a vicious false propaganda circulating in various media platforms claiming that their suspension was done to punish them for exposing corruption in the municipality.
It must be placed on record that at no stage has the union leadership of SAMWU brought any issues of corruptions to the leadership and management of the municipality neither have they reported these allegations to the relevant law enforcement agencies.
We view these public pronouncements by the union leadership as a desperate attempt to divert public focus on the real issues surrounding their self-centred actions of depriving the residents their right to water and sanitation services.
We wish to bury these false insinuations spread by the union as the worst form of propaganda which seeks to undermine the plight faced by our communities during the current situation of water disruptions.”
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UPDATE: May 29, 9.30am
Ugu workers have gathered outside the municipality’s offices in Marburg for talks on what their next move will be.
Samwu chairman, Mthandeni Ngcobo has told workers that they are being punished because they want to engage in talks with the municipality about corruption due to recent unlawful appointments made by Ugu management.
“Managers are resigning left right and centre, tenders are being awarded unlawfully, there is just too much money being misspent, yet Ugu says it has no money. We can’t stand this corruption; they will leave Ugu one by one,” said union secretary, Mthandeni Ngcobo.
The union added they had sent an email to management and are awaiting a response. Reports are circulating that management will be meeting with representatives from the Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs later today.
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May 28, 4.30pm
Ugu District Municiaplity has in a statement warned consumers to brace for more water supply interruptions following a ‘sudden and illegal work stoppage’ by workers affiliated to the South African Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu).
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The municipality said this follows its implementation of a ‘no work, no pay’ rule to workers who had previously withheld their services during an unprotected strike. This, the municipality added, resulted in major water disruptions and the suspension of Samwu shopstewards who recently invaded a management meeting.
“The municipality views this action by workers affiliated to Samwu as a bare disregard of the constitutional rights of communities to provision of water and sanitation services. We have identified that certain areas are currently being affected by water disruptions, and the municipality will use all of its available resources to ensure that service interruptions are minimised during this period. We have also engaged the services of law enforcement agencies to deal with possible acts of sabotage to the municipal infrastructure,” read the statement.
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