WATCH | Smero residents stranded as burst pipe cuts water, blocks road
Smero Ward Councillor Simphiwe Phungula said the matter had been reported and he was monitoring the repairs.
Smero residents in Edendale are caught in the grip of a double service delivery crisis after a burst water pipe left the community without water, while ongoing repair work has cut off its main access road.
The damage occurred at the entrance to the bridge leading into Smero and neighbouring communities.
The pipe burst on Monday and, by Thursday, frustrated residents were still waiting for repairs to be completed.
With taps running dry, families have been forced to trek to neighbouring areas in search of water, while motorists and taxis are navigating lengthy alternative routes as the only road into and out of the community remains torn apart by excavation work.
Resident Nkosi Makhathini said the prolonged outages have made life difficult.
“We have been without water since Monday. We have to walk around the area to see who has water and borrow from them. We cannot use this road, which is the main entrance to and from Smero, so we have to use alternate routes, which are much longer. Taxis now even have to change their routes because of this issue. It is very disturbing that we have been left like this when we need assistance,” said Makhatini.
When The Witness visited the area, three women were seen walking to the site to check whether repairs had resumed while also searching for alternative water sources.
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Another resident, Nompilo Kunene said obtaining clean water had become a daily struggle.
“We just have to collect water in buckets and carry it home. It is very difficult because we need water to care for our families and complete tasks around the house,” she said.
Neliswa Khanyile said although a water tanker had been sent to the area, residents were only allowed to collect a limited amount of water.
“There is so much to do around the house. We still have to bathe and cook, but then we are told that we cannot take many buckets,” she said.
Elderly resident Bheki Mnyandu said some residents had resorted to paying vagrants R20 to carry buckets of water to their homes.
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“They came here on Monday and dug up the area. They brought a replacement pipe, but it did not fit, so they left everything like this,” said Mnyandu.
Smero Ward Councillor Simphiwe Phungula said the matter had been reported and he was monitoring the repairs.
“The community reported the issue to me and I informed the water department. On Monday they excavated the area and located the leaking section,” said Phungula.
“They went to the stores for a replacement part, but the pipe they brought was too small. They are now sourcing the correct part and, once it arrives, the repairs will be completed.”
Msunduzi Municipality has yet to respond to the query regarding the matter.
