No service delivery in eThekwini [LETTER]
The Bluff and surrounding Durban south areas continue to be plagued by water outages, a year after the floods damaged essential infrastructure.
EDITOR – My late cousin who lived in Marondera, Zimbabwe, used to say that on a good day they would have six hours of water and electricity. Otherwise, there were periods of up to three days when one or both necessities were not available.
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Since March 9, there have been seven occasions when water has not been available for anything from three hours to over 20 hours in the Grosvenor area of The Bluff. But those experiences have been eclipsed by the four days of no water from April 12 to 16, so it seems our Zimbabwe experience is well underway.
Be that as it may, the situation is the result of decades of poor maintenance and the failure to upgrade and renew pipelines and equipment. The loss of 55% of eThekwini’s water through leaks and theft speaks for itself. Yet a 15% tariff increase is proposed for the next financial year.
The only people scoring from the water debacle are the plumbers. But then they are probably more qualified than Ednick Msweli who heads the department of water and sanitation. He has a degree in business administration, but has no engineering qualification which is required for the post he holds.
DR DUNCAN DU BOIS
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