Residents of Sydenham flats face ongoing water supply crisis since December

IOL News

22-05-2025

Ward councillor Remona McKenzie said residents of Durban have been deprived of consistent access to water. Since December 2024, residents living in high-rise blocks of flats in Sydenham have not been receiving a regular supply of water to their taps.
Image: Zainul Dawood
Approximately 320 flats have been affected by intermittent water outages in the Sydenham area, with residents having to carry buckets of water up flights of stairs since December.
The high-rise buildings of Sydenham Manor on Crouch Road, Sydenham Heights A Block, on Rippon Road, and Aslam Heights on Randles Road are most affected by the water outages.
Leanne Lupke, a resident, said the water issue has become frequent and worse since December, which she heard was due to water pressure in the pipelines.
Lupke stated that residents were uncertain about when the water supply would return to the taps.. If it does, she said, the supply only lasts a few hours or does not reach all the flats in the building.
"I have been following up on WhatsApp groups and also noticed that other buildings in Sherwood and 45th Cutting are experiencing the problem. Residents believe that there is manipulation of the water system," she said.
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Carol Noel, 72, who lives on the 6th floor in Sydenham Manor and uses walking aids, shared her plight of having to pay people, up to R50, in the building to fetch water for her.
"The water tankers come at odd hours. We also went three days without water. We pay for water that we are not using," she said.
Isaac Waljee, 67, said he had to walk up nine floors carrying buckets of water in Sydenham A-Block.
Carl Lortan, Sydenham Ratepayers Association chairperson, said the city management must heed the concerns of residents who are paying for undelivered services.
Lortan said residents were intending to hold a placard protest outside City Hall to highlight their plight, adding that children going to school and those reliant on medication were most affected by the water outages.
Ward councillor Remona McKenzie said residents have been deprived of consistent access to water since December last year.
Despite escalating this matter to the head of Water and Sanitation, Operations and Technical teams, the municipality has failed to provide any feedback or resolution.
"This neglect not only breaches the rights enshrined in the Municipal Systems Act but also undermines the constitutional obligation to provide access to water. The crisis is forcing elderly residents to carry heavy buckets of water, placing an undue burden on them and highlighting the severe impact on their lives. We demand urgent action and accountability to restore our right to water," McKenzie said.
Sandile Cele, acting area manager of Water Operations, Central Region, said residents' concern about water tanker availability is understood.
In a statement, the municipality said that to prevent the system from collapsing, which may result in a prolonged recovery period, an urgent decision has been taken to shut off outflows on uMngeni-uThukela's Wiggins Water Treatment Works. The treatment works also supplies water to Sydenham. Other areas affected include Dunbar, Chesterville, and Bonela.
The municipality said shutting off outflows is necessary to replenish storage reserves at the works, which will increase flow to the city's reservoirs.
As per the previous communique on May 15, the municipality stated that shutting off the outflows will continue to be repeated until the system has fully recovered.
The municipality added that it was working closely with its bulk supplier, uMngeni-uThukela, to remedy the situation and find a permanent solution.
It is anticipated that storage reserves will improve overnight for outflow supplies to resume. However, consumers are cautioned that the interruption of supply may continue as the system recovers.
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