Many families in Matikwe, north of Durban, were left out when pipes were installed. Some families get water from a nearby spring; elderly people who cannot fetch their own water pay someone R10 to carry 20 litres of water for them.
Listen to this article 4 min Listen to this article 4 min Women in Matikwe north of Durban are digging a trench to lay their own pipeline after years of frustration with the eThekwini municipal water supply.
About 100 households in Matikwe do not have standpipes in their yards. They say they have been waiting for 18 years to be connected to the water supply. Some families get water from a nearby spring, others fetch it from households about 500m away that do have taps. Elderly people who cannot fetch their own water pay someone R10 to carry 20 litres of water for them. Municipal water tankers do come, but not regularly, they say.
Promises never kept
Residents say every ward councillor who wants their votes always promises them taps in their yards. But the promises are never kept.
Now they are worried that in view of announcements by the mayor of eThekwini last week about water curtailment, their chances of being connected to the mains are even lower. Mayor Cyril Xaba said at a media briefing on 3 October that the volume of water from the uMngeni-uThukela Water Catchment System, from which the city gets most of its water,...
