Residents in rural Ward 105 of eThekwini Metro Municipality have lacked reliable municipal water since 2020, relying instead on streams and purchased supplies. The municipality attributes the shortages to ageing infrastructure, vandalism and rising demand while promising upgrades.
Residents in areas such as Mfume and Odidini report that a pipeline burst during road construction in March 2020 and remains unrepaired. A damaged borehole pump has also been out of service since then, leaving families to collect water from streams shared with livestock.
Local voices including Ezekiel Nkosi and Fanele Njwara describe daily hardships, with children spending hours fetching water after school. Ward committee member Ntombenhle Makhanya and former councillor Simphiwe Kweyama have raised repeated complaints without resolution.
Municipality officials, including Mduduzi Nkosi and councillor Ayanda Ndlovu, state that supply is now intermittent and rationed, with tankers and new boreholes deployed. They cite vandalism, population growth and inherited infrastructure as causes, and note that upgrades to the Mfume pump station and other facilities are funded for the 2025/26 and 2026/27 financial years.