Azra Hoosen | ah@radioislam.co.za
22 February 2025 | 19:00 CAT
3 min read

eThekwini Municipality is facing mounting pressure from residents as the water crisis continues to worsen, with some communities going weeks without access to clean water. In response, the eThekwini Ratepayers Movement (ERPM) has written an open letter to national and municipal authorities, demanding urgent action and accountability.

ERPM chairperson, Asad Gaffar, has called on residents to unite for a mass protest at Curries Fountain Sports Grounds on March 1 2025, urging communities to take a stand against what he describes as “maladministration and corruption” within the municipality.

“It all starts with water,” Gaffar told Radio Islam International. “We all know that water is a precious resource. It is also an amount given to us by our creator. And as you rightfully pointed out, there are communities that are going without water for weeks on end,” he added.

Gaffar and the ERPM have been monitoring the crisis closely and argue that it was entirely avoidable, given the revenue the municipality collects. He pointed out that the city imposes an infrastructure surcharge on residents, yet much of that money is not being ring-fenced for water and sanitation services.

He highlighted that the city loses plus-minus more than 50% of the water they buy from Umgeni Water. “Now, some of that is being used for impoverished communities, which we accept, we’ve got no issue with that. But the bulk of the water is being wasted because of leaks and burst pipes, and the city is not taking responsibility for that,” he said.

Despite repeated complaints from residents, water leaks often go unattended for days, if not weeks, further exacerbating the crisis. Just this week, the municipality announced further water restrictions, with reservoirs being switched off for hours at a time, leaving communities without water for large portions of the day.

“Why should it be this way? Enough is enough,” Gaffar said, calling for immediate action to ensure that funds collected for water infrastructure are used appropriately.

Gaffar highlighted that Tongaat, Verulam, and Phoenix remain among the worst-affected areas. Many residents in Phoenix, for example, receive water for only two hours a day, often in the early morning. When the supply is restored, air trapped in the pipes causes meters to run, forcing residents to pay for air instead of actual water.

The Call to Action: Mass Protest on March 1

To push for immediate reforms, the ERPM is organising a mass protest on March 1 at Curries Fountain, a venue historically linked to the fight against apartheid.

“We chose that venue because we want to dismantle maladministration and corruption. We do understand that it will likely be the first of Ramadan, but it’s just a couple of hours. There’ll be a handing over of a memorandum to the mayor and the MEC, and then everyone can go back home,” he said.

Gaffar stressed that eThekwini ratepayers wield significant economic power, stating: “There are 525,000 paying consumers in the city, and they are subsidizing almost 3.5 million people. We are calling on those paying consumers to say: you have the economic power to bring about change.”

Gaffar acknowledged that the municipality is already in a financial crisis, with barely enough reserves to keep running. “They can’t pay their contractors; they can’t pay their service providers. They’re taking from Peter to pay Paul,” he said.

However, he made it clear that ERPM’s goal is not to collapse the city but rather to force accountability and competent governance. “We Don’t Want to Collapse the City, But We Demand Accountability,” he said.

According to Gaffar, even if the city starts repairing its infrastructure today, it would take at least 40 to 50 years to fully restore the system. “That work needs to start now, and right now, we haven’t even got off the starting block,” he warned.

With the protest set for March 1 at Curries Fountain, residents are being urged to unite in demanding real change before the crisis spirals even further out of control.

LISTEN to the full interview with Ml Junaid Kharsany and ERPM Chairman, Asad Gaffar, here.