Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za

2-minute read
24 January 2024 | 16:53 CAT

Verulam residents protesting against persistent water outages that have plagued the area. Image: Facebook/ @I love Verulam

Durban residents have taken to the streets to express their unhappiness with the metro’s water issues. Residents in the north of the city, some of whom have been without water for four weeks, have blockaded roads with burnt tyres and debris as part of a protest.

Angry North Durban residents have vowed to intensify their service delivery protests over ongoing water outages. On Monday, they blocked several roads around Verulam, Waterloo, Ottawa, and Parkgate with burning tyres and other debris, as they have been without water for weeks.

Residents are demanding urgent action from eThekwini Municipality to remedy the situation.

The chairperson of the Tongaat Civic Association, Don Perumal, said the area had suffered water shortages intermittently, including on Christmas and New Year.

Perumal said other areas, like Verulam, had suffered from more severe shortages, with water supply becoming a “daily battle”.

Radio Islam International underscores the water crisis with DA Councillor Rory Macpherson.

Macpherson describes this situation as a humanitarian crisis.

“This is a critical moment in our lives because we are at the tipping edge,” he says.

He added, “My own view, is that water and sanitation had collapsed. The department has simply collapsed and they do not have a plan.”

Listen to the full interview on The Daily Round-Up with Moulana Junaid Kharsany.