eThekwini Municipality grapples with 65 percent water loss woes and 12 000 water leaks
Durban’s water woes continues to surge as its Non-Revenue Water (NRW) reached the 65% mark in July, and eThekwini Municipality was under pressure to fix a reported 12 000 leaks.
Another headache for the municipality was the attempts by its Water and Sanitation (EWS) Directorate to meet former contracted plumbers on Wednesday to fix unresolved issues.
As a show of the discontentment, according to DA councillor and Trading Services Committee whip Alan Peterson, the affected plumbers blocked access to the EWS Pinetown Depot on Tuesday, over unpaid invoices and new procurement processes.
Samantha Windvogel, a DA ward 65 councillor, said the annual average NRW is 55%, and that the average and July’s figure was significantly above the national benchmark, which was a grave concern.
“Despite recommendations that the Contractor-Initiated Procurement (CIP) process be implemented to address the shortage of plumbers, no formal resolution has yet been adopted. This has left the department without the capacity needed to respond effectively to the growing crisis. Residents continue to ask councillors whether they may repair leaks themselves. Yet, no formal communication has been issued by the municipality advising residents on the status of outstanding leaks or providing guidance on this matter,” Windvogel said.
She said it was evident that 56 internal plumbers, without contracted plumbing support, were not enough to address the scale of the problem.
“Ratepayers are frustrated by the daily sight of clean drinking water flowing down streets and into stormwater drains while many communities continue to experience water shortages,” she said.
During Tuesday’s Executive Committee (EXCO) meeting the municipality condemned the unlawful blocking of water depots by disgruntled contractors. They stated that such action obstructed municipal employees from performing their duties and disrupted service delivery to residents.
City manager Musa Mbhele explained that the decision to revise the appointment process for contract plumbers was informed by findings from the Auditor-General, which determined that the previous contracting arrangement was irregular.
Mbhele explained that in line with the Auditor-General’s recommendations, the municipality introduced a new procurement model through the Contractor Infrastructure Panel (CIP) to manage plumbing services. He explained that some contractors challenged this process in court, and interim measures were implemented under the approved CIP management contract to safeguard continuity of service delivery.
“Certain former contractors have since expressed dissatisfaction, insisting on direct individual contracts with the City rather than operating as subcontractors under appointed managing contractors. Despite these disputes, implementation of the new system is progressing. In the northern region, onboarding has been completed and work is underway, with rollout continuing across other regions,” Mbhele said.
Executive Director of Technical Services, Ednick Msweli, emphasised that the current dispute relates primarily to the transition to the new contracting model. He further clarified that payment rates remain unchanged from the previous arrangement, with subcontractors now working under managing contractors who receive a 15% management fee approved by the City’s Bid Adjudication Committee (BAC).
