Sihle Mavuso presents the latest news from KwaZulu-Natal.
Nongoma – Minister of Water and Sanitation Senzo Mchunu has assured long-suffering residents of the Zululand and Umkhanyakude districts in KwaZulu-Natal that a solution to their water problems is imminent. Mchunu said the government is speeding up finishing the Mandlakazi regional bulk water scheme that will supply water to the two semi-arid districts. He said when the government realised the scheme was facing challenges it was taken over and became a ministerial scheme that was working together with the Umngeni-Uthukela Water Authority to finish the project. Mchunu said technical teams are conducting pressure testing and checking the functionality of some of the pipelines because the reservoirs are full and ready to deliver water. His assurance comes as residents from the two districts have been protesting for two weeks over the lack of a proper water supply.
Durban – The ANC-run eThekwini municipality has been rocked by another wildcat strike by disgruntled employees. The latest strike in the township of Hammarsdale in the west of Durban saw municipal workers close some depots. Some of the striking workers said they are doing the same work as their colleagues in Tshwane and Ekurhuleni in Gauteng and want the same salaries. On Tuesday, a group of about 500 workers engaged in a wildcat strike, forcing the municipality to apply the no-work-no-pay rule.
Pietermaritzburg – The office of Thoko Didiza, the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, has provided official feedback regarding the meeting it had with King Misuzulu kaZwelithini regarding his decision to take over as the chairperson of the board of the Ingonyama Trust. The office said Didiza informed the King that Parliament had concerns regarding certain matters of governance, accountability and financial management which needed to be attended to. The minister acknowledged the work that has commenced in addressing these matters by Inkosi Thanduyise Mzimela and the current board and management. The minister and the King met late last week in Durban.
Ulundi – Residents of the Ulundi flats owned by the KZN Department of Works, built to house MECs and their staff when the provincial legislature was still in the north of the province, have been plunged into a water crisis. This was after the Zululand district municipality disconnected water services to the flats. According to sources living there, the IFP-led district municipality is owed around R2-million. The sources said residents tried to negotiate with the municipality to install individual water meters, but it refused. The spokesperson for the municipality, Zanele Mthethwa, confirmed it has disconnected water services to the flats and various buildings in Ulundi. She said the services would only be reconnected once the debt is settled in full.
Pictured above: The municipal workers’ strike by employees of eThekwini municipality.
Image source: Supplied
