Something fishy about water supply

A muddy contrast clearly illustrating Hluhluwe’s current water quality

‘I will rather bath in my pool and cook with bottled water than turn open a tap in this town. ‘Our water is only good enough for flushing toilets. In fact, its looks as if it already has been recycled from there.’ These are some of the sentiments of disgruntled Hluhluwe residents about the state of their water after the town’s water supply was again cut for half of last weekend. One pensioner claims he drives to Richards Bay to do his washing, because the foul water damages his clothes and washing machine. Residents say repeated complaints about the lack of water supply have fallen on deaf ears. Water cuts, followed by bursts of muddied, dirty water, have been ongoing for months. A giant ‘fish in the pipeline’, an empty or dirty reservoir and burst pipes include some of the excuses and explanations offered in the past by municipal officials. Hluhluwe falls under the Umkhanyakude District Municipality, together with Mtubatuba, Mkhuze, Jozini, Kwangwanase and Ingwavuma and is marketed as The Elephant Coast. Chronic water shortages have plagued the district for the past few years and last year, Umkhanyakude Mayor, Lawrence Mthombeni, said in the press that water restrictions resulted in a massive loss of revenue for the local tourism industry. The municipality received a R44-million loan from the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) in January last year. At the time, the Mayor announced that the money will also be used to upgrade the water reservoir. Mr Bheki Thabethe, who is believed to oversee the water progress, said that they were busy repairing pumps and pipes, but that he was not authorised to issue a statement. The Zululand Observer was thereafter referred to, amongst others, the Director of Technical Services, the Municipal Manager, the Ward Councillor, Umhlathuze Water and the Mayor’s office - all to no avail.