WATER WARS
Guns used against fed-up residents
RESIDENTS in Umzinto were shot and wounded when a private security company opened fire on them following water problems in the area.
Residents on the South Coast have lived with intermittent water supply for the past few years. It has all but destroyed a once-thriving tourism industry.
From November last year, residents of Umzinto have had water for about an hour or two a day, followed by days without water. This week when they protested, the situation turned violent.
Dr Anthony Turton, a water expert, said water infrastructure had been crumbling across the country for more than a decade.
“The Umzinto case is merely the latest in a litany of failed service delivery.
“If one looks at Emfuleni, an area that was once the industrial centre of South Africa, we find a total collapse of sewage services, with 120 million litres of raw sewage draining daily into the drinking water of the Gauteng province.
“At Ngwathe in the Free State, businesses have closed. In Makanda in the Eastern Cape, infrastructure has collapsed, and in Harrismith we have the same situation. On the South Coast, Ugu District Municipality is in disarray, with water infrastructure now dysfunctional.”
Turton said that about 60% of the municipalities countrywide were in distress and about R1 trillion was needed to fix the problem.
“There are various solutions coming together. One is being developed by the SA Business Water Chamber, which works closely with the Treasury, the National Planning Commission and the Presidency, which involves Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) being rolled out. These SPVs are legal instruments that enable money to be ringfenced and skills to be rebuilt.”
Turton said another option was to go to court where judges and magistrates had allowed ratepayer associations to take control of service delivery.
“These two elements are likely to merge in the near future,” he said.
“Whenever services fail, so do businesses. This drives unemployment but also dries up the flow of taxes to the state.
“The outcome is likely to be a ripple effect of violent protest, growing unemployment and ultimately regime change as a second-phase revolution is unleashed.”
Following the violence, Premier Sihle Zikalala met with officials and stakeholders in Port Shepstone.
Among those who attended were Ravi Pillay, the MEC of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs; Sipho Hlomuka, the MEC of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs; Phumlile Mthiyene, the mayor of the Ugu District Municipality and councillors.
“We are deeply concerned at the continuous disruptions and poor state of water supply in this district.
“The current status of water supply is a source of great concern for us as it impacts negatively on the lives of residents, businesses, public facilities, as well as the tourism industry which is the backbone of the economy of Ugu District,” said Zikalala.
He blamed the lack of water on a number of factors, including ageing infrastructure, vandalism and people not paying their rates.
He added that due to colonialism and apartheid some areas like Ezinqoleni or Ezingolweni had not had water supply previously.
Zikalala presented a multi-pronged solution. It included obtaining the funds to repair water treatment centres, boost storage capacity and beef up security so as to prevent vandalism.
As for the violence that erupted, Zikalala said: “We condemn the use of violence and the firing of live ammunition at protesters, which resulted in some people being hurt.”
He also promised to hold officials accountable, and asked the Ugu District Council to present its turnaround strategy to the provincial cabinet in three weeks’ time.
“We want to be firm that we cannot allow a situation to persist wherein officials who are paid to do a job are simply deciding not to do their work.
“We say this because ultimately all these commitments we make today will vanish into thin air if we do not have officials on the ground who are committed to the development of this district.”
Mthiyene welcomed the plan. “The plan is a positive step and it will help us.
“With the involvement of the premier, it would be easier for us to access funds to resolve these issues. We are 100% confident,” she said.
WATER was restored to Umzinto on Tuesday after protests turned violent.
Residents of Mistake Farm, Farm Isonti, Ghandinagar, Hazelwood, Nkonkas, Roseville and Sanathan began protesting at 3.30am on Monday. They blocked roads – some with cars, others with tree branches and tyres.
It is alleged that during a protest in Riverside Park, a group of men arrived in an unmarked vehicle and fired at protesters, injuring three people. Some protesters believed the group was from a private security company.
Ash Moodley, organiser of the protest, said residents experienced water cuts every day.
“There were water cuts prior to the local government elections, but after the November election, it became worse. The water comes on for about two hours, and then there is no water for up to three days. Tankers are dispatched to distribute water to suburbs, but it is never enough.
“Residents cannot bath or go to work, and businesses cannot function. We are spending a lot of money on bottled water. We have been tolerant since November, and now with our children returning to school, it is becoming more difficult.
“We knew that the only way our cries for help would be answered was if we took to the streets. I mobilised the community to hold peaceful protests in suburbs. We barricaded the roads with tyres and tree branches so the municipality would take us seriously. Businesses in the CBD also closed on account of the protests and because there was no water.”
He said members of the community presented a memorandum to Ugu District Municipality mayor Thumlile Mthiyene at Ghandinagar on Monday.
He added that among their demands was a call for the Umdoni Municipality, an administrative area in the Ugu District, to hire people with the prerequisite skills for the job.
“We believe those tasked to handle the water infrastructure are not qualified enough. We want the municipality to be placed under administration.”
Moodley said the mayor had agreed to restore water to the area.
Following the handover, some members of the community allegedly tried to loot businesses in the CBD.
Gora Ally, a butchery owner, said: “Town was quiet on account of us not having water, but some of us (businesses owners) arrived to check up on things. At around 8.30am, people tried to break into stores in order to loot, but security companies managed to disperse them. The area was left in a mess.”
Ayoob Amla, who runs a manufacturing company, said: “These people used the water crisis as an excuse to steal from us.”
While this was happening, a group of men with rifles and camouflage clothing arrived in the CBD in a Land Cruiser.
Residents in Riverside Park, a suburb near the CBD, who were protesting, said the group fired at them.
Shaun Mcente, 42, and Gracie Vanner, 58, were shot with live ammunition, while Dante Pillay, 15, was shot with a rubber bullet.
POST witnessed the protesters demand the police arrest the gunmen. They were told to report the matter to Umzinto SAPS. The protesters, in turn, threw rocks and bottles at the police, but they dispersed when the police threatened to fire rubber bullets.
Moodley then opened a case of attempted murder at the police station.
“We believed that when the attempted looting occurred in the CBD, the private security company was called in as back-up.”
The families of the injured are demanding justice.
Penny Mcente said that she was with her husband and nephew when the men arrived.
“They arrived with guns like AK-47s. Shots were fired, and I remember Shaun telling us to run. Then I heard someone say Shaun had been shot. I saw my husband hiding behind a board, but the shooter continued to fire at him. Shaun managed to escape by jumping into the river. He was shot in the thigh, but he somehow managed to walk to find help.”
She said that her husband was taken to a clinic where he was treated until he was transferred to the hospital.
“The bullet is still lodged in his leg. He will need to undergo an operation for it to be removed.”
Penny said that they joined the protest as they wanted the municipality to understand their plight.
“But some people used this as an opportunity to shoot us.” Vanner was shot in the hand. “I wanted to hear what the mayor was saying when he received the memorandum. While walking towards him and others, these men drove toward us and fired. My son and I jumped into the river to hide, but I was shot in the hand.”
She was also taken to the clinic and then sent home.
“I am so traumatised. I am in a lot of pain and cannot move my hand. Nobody in this community provoked those men. They were trigger happy. They continued to shoot even as people were running away. Nobody here tried to loot anything.”
Kevin Pillay, Dante’s father, said his son was shot in the arm.
“Dante was with me during the protest. Then these men drove into the area and shot at us. They used live ammunition and rubber bullets. Dante and I got separated in the chaos. I eventually found him with some children. He was in pain, and his arm was swollen.”
Pillay said that his son did not go to school because there was no water at home or at the school.
The owner of the security company could not be reached for comment.
Lieutenant-Colonel Nqobile Gwala, a provincial police spokesperson, said Umzinto police were investigating a case of attempted murder and were searching for the suspects.