DURBAN - The eThekwini Municipality said its employees are unable to respond to water disruptions due to the ongoing unrest.
Violent looting has erupted in various areas in and surrounding Durban since last Friday, making parts of the city no-go zones.
The municipality said it was aware of disruptions to supply from the Bothas Hill reservoir (which supplies Bothas Hill and KwaNyuswa), Midnight café, Phoenix 1, Umbumbulu, Mgobhozini, Adams Mission, Folweni, Lovu, Salem, Georgedale, Washington Heights, Intake road, Harinager, Trenance, Metcalfe, Umlazi and Katzkop.)
“Kindly be advised that for now, it’s not issues of vandalism but rather that staff are unable to access Water Department facilities when they malfunction like pump station trips, reservoir low level and high-level alarms.”
The municipality said all facilities would be attended to when it was safe for staff to access them.
The city added that communities should protect water infrastructure.
“Water infrastructure is there to serve local communities. If it's destroyed, there will be no water for prolonged periods. We, therefore, call on communities to be responsible for and protect infrastructure provided for their benefit,” it said.
In a statement on Monday, the municipality notified the public that it was not able to read water meters.
The city said its Sizakala customer service centres, including contact centres, are unable to function as normal and are closed until further notice.
“Customers who have reported water, sanitation and other service delivery faults are requested to be patient as there might be delays in having such faults attended to. Queries will be attended to when the safety and security situation stabilises.”
It said waste collection and street sweeping services had been suspended until further notice.
“Homeowners and businesses are requested to keep waste inside the premises, including all green municipal wheelie bins.”
The following Parks, Recreation and Culture (PRC) facilities are closed:
- All Municipal PRC depots, nature reserves and nurseries,
- Botanic and Japanese Gardens,
- Zoos,
- Mitchell Park and Bird Park,
- Swimming pools,
- Libraries,
- Cemeteries and crematoria.
- Beaches are still open and lifeguards are monitoring sites.
The city said working together with the police, it continues to safeguard key infrastructure to minimise the impact on service delivery.
“eThekwini Municipality would like to advise the public that delivery of services remains disrupted due to the protest action currently taking place. The protests have affected several areas in the city and several pieces of infrastructure.”
THE MERCURY