Good day Minister Pamela Penny Majodina,
Congratulations on your appointment.

Minister, I am writing the message to you at my wits end really with this situation that effects and everyone in this community and the nearby communities. Trenance Park, located in town of Verulam, Amatouna Township in eThekwini Municipality of KZN

The former Minister in your position did come to visit our areas in Verulam an he did make promises to the community that we would get water supplied by a certain date this year. But this promise did not manifest at all.

We as the community are do disheartened and disappointed. As we are still living totally dependent on water tankers to supply us with water daily or we have to buy it. Yet we receive exorbitantly high water billings every month and are threatened with electricity or other municipality services being disconnected if we do not pay this bill or make a payment arrangement.

Living on water tanker supply is not feasible in this time. Toilets, cooking, washing clothes, bathing etc...how many buckets/bottles of water can we fill on a daily basis to accomplish all of this?

Minister, I am pleading with you as a citizen, a woman and a mother of two. It is so difficult to live this way. I cannot even think of selling my house and moving to any province because who would buy houses with water supply like this. It is devaluing our property.

Please investigate this matter. We the community really do not understand the problem. Till last year we were fine, water supply was great. However if we were to timeline it, then it could be said, since the development of new low cost government houses built (free water homes) in the area late last year was when the problem of water supply to our areas started.

Could it be the new pipelines from the reservoir to the new houses reduced the supply capacity of the reservoir or it is inadequate to supply the increased community size?
Or we think that with the local government investing so much money into purchasing water tankers and tendering out water tanker service provider contracts. They do want to stop water tanker services that is making alot of money for the tanker service provider owners...tanker mafia contractors maybe?

As you can see, alot of theories going around. If you ask ESW the eThekwini Water & Sanitation Department they blame aging infrastructure. But its going on for almost a year now, we get water so, infrequently in our taps its like a modern day miracle when it does happens. They have been fixing the pipes and infrastructure for so long,since last year with many planning and implementing this strategy and that meeting to reach a resolution...but all to no success. We the effected community its been all in vain we do not have water in our homes, a service we are paying for. Nothing makes sense from ESW, just alot of promises of water supply to our homes that comes to nothing but lies and false hope. If you read the reports from Umgeni-uThukela Water on Facebook they states our dams/ reservoirs have adequate capacity to supply the communities it services but then where is the water to us...it begs the question?

Minister, you are the new leader of this department we hope and pray you intervene and some hope and much needed direction and leadership to this department please.

I, thank you for taking the time to read my message in good faith I trust you will fairly assess the matter that pains us.