By: Nomvula Ndlovu



The KwaZulu-Natal Premier Senzo Mchunu, accompanied by the MEC for Local Government and Traditional Affairs Nomusa Dube-Ncube and Mayor James Nxumalo, launched the War on Water Leaks campaign in KwaMashu Township, outside Durban on Tuesday.

This campaign comes into action after Mchunu mentioned the water related problems faced in the INK area (Inanda, Ntuzuma and KwaMashu) during his State of the Province address.

“In my inauguration speech I made a commitment to visit the INK Area (Inanda, Ntuzuma and KwaMashu) within my first 100 days in office because of the high levels of water leaks,” said Mchunu.

He added, “In the INK area alone there is water waste of between 45% and 82%. This has resulted in water shortages affecting many communities. The Water and Research Commission show that purified pipe water supplies go to waste in most KwaZulu-Natal municipalities, largely from burst pipes and illegal connections.”

With assistance from the chair of the Human Settlement and Infrastructure committee, Nigel Gumede, Nxumalo went to Lindelani C Section in Ntuzuma to officially launch the meter installation project.

During his address, Nxumalo said that the problem is that approximately R16 Million worth of water is lost due to illegal water connections.

“As the eThekwini Municipality we saw the importance of removing illegal water connections and installing water metres to avoid unnecessary water loss.

It is also to tackle the problem of water supply in some areas of the INK region. Water distribution is shutdown at 8pm and opened at 4am and that affects residents,” he said.

He went on to say that the residents will not pay for the meters but will pay for their monthly water consumption.

Lindelani residence Phumzile Ngcobo expressed her joy about the meter installations.

“In the previous years my water bill was high due to illegal connections. Now that I have a meter that is linked to my home only, I will be able to save water and now I can afford to pay my water bill,” said Ngcobo.

Nxumalo concluded that the challenge is of demand and supply. However, as the Municipality they will do all they can to meet peoples’ needs.