Residents on South Coast vote amid ongoing water crisis

Driving past areas like Murchison, Oribi Gorge, and Paddock, a number of people could be seen walking on the roads holding empty buckets and water containers.  

They are looking for water. 

Residents in Ezinqoleni haven’t had water since 2018 or 2019, some even longer. 

Residents told Newswatch they have never been told why they taps ran dry. 

A father said he had to vote today for someone who was willing to hear their plight. 

He said he leaves his home around three times a week to find clean water for his family. 

READ: KZN residents hope for improved basic services after elections

Two pensioners stopped and said that water trucks had stopped coming to the area; sometimes, they waited two to three weeks. 

They are now forced to drink dirty water from the local river, which they say they share with livestock.  

This is the case for many who live here, who are unable to purchase water or go out to find it.

The lack of what residents say is their basic human right has led to service delivery protests in the area. 

In March 2021, the area was rocked by a service delivery protest that saw locals loot the local mall. Business owners lost millions of rands worth of stock. 

Since then, locals say, nothing has changed, and that’s what motivates them to vote in the elections.