KZN water protests cause chaos
Disgruntled former workers blamed
Reports surfaced yesterday about a truck being torched and a number of roads in northern KwaZulu-Natal being blockaded as communities took to the streets over water shortages in their areas.
Protests on the R102‚ R66‚ R34 and P230 erupted early yesterday‚ affecting motorists travelling between Empangeni‚ Eshowe‚ Mthonjaneni‚ Nkwaleni‚ Gingindlovu and Nkandla.
According to a source in the area‚ a truck was torched on the R102 as the protests intensified.
In a statement‚ the King Cetshwayo district municipality said the violence and incidents of vandalism stemmed from the community’s dissatisfaction with water supply.
It said the protest had been ongoing for the past three days‚ and alleged that vandalism and sabotage by employees of a previous contractor had exacerbated the challenges of service delivery.
“The municipality had for 17 years (from 2003) outsourced water services for the rural areas and some small towns in the municipalities of Umfolozi (Mbonambi)‚ Umlalazi (Eshowe)‚ Mthonjaneni (Melmoth) and Nkandla‚ to WSSA.
“The contract was deemed to be unlawful and was criticised by the auditor-general. As an act of good governance‚ it was necessary to seek a new service agent.”
The district municipality said it undertook a phased-out approach for 12 months‚ ending June 30 2020‚ to minimise service delivery disruptions.
“Umgeni Water Board‚ a state entity‚ was engaged from July 1 2020 to provide the water support services while the municipality looks forward to building internal capacity. This was done within the ambits of government legislation as the water board is an organ of state.”
The district said it was now experiencing serious challenges from employees of the previous service provider‚ who are denying the municipal and Umgeni Water Board employees access to the water infrastructure in order to provide the service to people.
“Access to water plants and treatment works are being blocked‚ and we are being prevented from supplying water to our communities. We are experiencing acts of intimidation and threats to employees from former WSSA employees...”
The municipality said it was concerned about vandalism to its property and water infrasructure.