KZN south coast pensioners forgo food to buy water, claims activist group

Elderly residents of Port Edward on the KwaZulu-Natal south coast claim life has become untenable because of water shortages and raw sewage flowing into the town.

The Water Alliance Group Port Edward has taken up the cudgels on behalf of fed-up residents by submitting a written complaint to water and sanitation minister Senzo Mchunu, as well as various local government officials including the Ugu municipality mayor.

Martin van Zyl, chair of the group, described the situation as “dire”.

“We are mostly a pensioners’ town with people living below the breadline and having to go hungry because they have to buy water from private water tankers,” he said.

Van Zyl said those with health conditions are being put at further risk because they are unable to bathe properly due to the lack of water.

“There is no water for the fire hydrants as the reservoir is always empty. If a fire breaks out, people’s lives will be in jeopardy.”

Van Zyl said they requested municipal water tankers but claims they were turned down “as we sometimes get water”.

“We have residents 80 years and older trying to lift 25 litre buckets of water ... The residents complain about not getting water, and wait for months to get Ugu municipality to fix it, or get told to buy water or get JoJo tanks.

“Port Edward was called the jewel of the south coast but due to water and sewage, the place has begun to lose holidaymakers.”

This hit businesses hard, he said. “Shops are closing their doors, leading to a loss of employment here, as well as for people from the Eastern Cape. Guest houses are forced to buy water so they can keep their doors open but that is becoming unsustainable.”

Van Zyl said sewage has been running onto the streets of Port Edward, posing a health risk to residents.

“We are just asking for basic human rights and dignity for our people,” he said.

TimesLIVE reached out to Ugu municipality and is awaiting a response.

Last week the municipality said it is working around the clock to restore a full supply of water to parts of the south coast severely affected by shortages.

The Federated Hospitality Association of Southern Africa (Fedhasa) raised the alarm last Tuesday “about how this dire situation severely affects tourism in the region”.

Fedhasa chair Rosemary Anderson said the tourism industry, a vital economic driver for the region, is in peril and the future looks bleak without swift intervention by national government.

She said residents have reported water shortages over the past 18 months “with only 107 of 255 days having access to water (between December 10 2021 and August 22 2022)”, which the municipality has disputed.

Municipal spokesperson France Zama said the municipality — with the support of water and sanitation minister Senzo Mchunu — is implementing turnaround plans and projects to improve water supply to affected communities.

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