South Coast water crisis worsens

For over a month now, Hibberdene has had no water, and according to residents, Ugu District Municipality has neither communicated a timeline for restoration nor provided water relief trucks.

It is not only Hibberdene, but Pumula, parts of Umtentweni, Ramsgate, Southbroom, Bhomela, KwaMadlala and some parts of Mtwalume are also affected.

The water woes also led to a protest in Umzumbe last Friday, where residents blocked the R102 and the N2 at Southport.

Mariska van der Westhuizen from Hibberdene said it has been four weeks since she had water, and Ugu promises that water is on its way.

“The municipality only refills the tank in town, but what about the elderly who cannot drive or walk? We are tired, we need water in our taps, washing is piling up and we cannot bathe properly.”

Also from Hibberdene, Antannemaree Hechter, said the non-delivery of water has now reached a humanitarian breaking point.

“Despite numerous attempts by residents to engage with Ugu, we have received no clear timeline for restoration, no adequate explanation for the prolonged outage, and insufficient relief via water tankers.”

Hechter and other community members have written a letter to the Department of Water and Sanitation requesting that the national or provincial departments intervene immediately to investigate the root cause of Ugu’s failure to provide water to Hibberdene.

The letter also requests that the relevant officials be held accountable for the lack of communication and service delivery.

Furthermore, Rudi De Jager of Southbroom added that residents in the area and surrounding communities have experienced little to no reliable water supply for weeks.

“Numerous faults have been logged through official municipal channels, and the matter has been escalated to various oversight bodies. However, residents continue to experience limited supply and insufficient communication regarding the cause of the disruption or timelines for resolution.”

In response, Ugu acknowledged water supply challenges are currently being experienced in parts of Umtentweni, Pumula, Hibberdene, Southbroom, as well as inland areas including Mtwalume and KwaMadlala.

Ugu’s spokesperson Zimbini Mpurwana said that interruptions are attributed to a combination of bulk infrastructure failures, technical faults, and system recovery constraints affecting water treatment, pumping and distribution.

“Technical teams have been deployed and are implementing corrective interventions, including pipeline repairs, system stabilisation measures, and plant recovery processes. Water tankers continue to be utilised as an interim relief measure in severely affected areas while system recovery progresses.”

With specific reference to Hibberdene, the municipality confirmed that multiple breaks on the bulk water pipeline were identified and addressed.

Mpurwana concluded that repairs have now been completed, valves have been opened, and the system is currently recharging to allow affected reservoirs to fill.

“Water supply restoration is expected to be gradual as pressure normalises and reservoirs recover.”

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