Musgrave residents were concerned about their health issues after their water pipe lines were contaminated with sewer water when adjacent pipelines were damaged.
eThekwini ward 31 councillor Remona Mckenzie explained that on Friday, 25 April, a burst water pipe occurred in the Musgrave area and while plumbers were excavating the road to expose the pipe, they accidentally struck a sewer pipeline adjacent to it.
Mckenzie said this allowed sewage to enter the water network. Mckenzie said the city was informed and then issued a formal boil water alert on 1 May 2025, which she believes was far too late. McKenzie said residents raised urgent concerns about a foul smell in their tap water and washing machines. Residents of Vause Road, who spoke on condition of anonymity, stated that they were waiting for the eThekwini Municipality to inform them if it was safe to drink the water. On Tuesday, eThekwini municipality’s spokesperson Gugu Sisilana the water was safe to drink, after quality checks were conducted.
One of the residents said that she had the washing machine on when the colour of the water turned brown. She said some residents had to replace the filters on their washing machines and fridges.
“The water had a foul smell and later we found out it was sewage. The municipality had come out twice to take water samples but they have kept us waiting on whether we can drink this water. In the interim we are buying copious amounts of water in plastic bottles,” they said.
Mckenzie said she had discovered that emergency protocols had not been activated, that valves remained open, the sewer team was ill-equipped, and no excavation machinery had been requested despite the trench being too deep to dig manually.
“The site foreman failed to assess the scene or act with urgency, and the water department refused to assist the sewer department, further compounding the delay,” Mckenzie said.
McKenzie said that she initiated immediate laboratory testing of the water supply, requested a list of affected properties, and ensured that all impacted households were included in the sampling.
“Lab results later confirmed the presence of E. coli, verifying residents’ concerns. This was a preventable health hazard. The failure to act decisively, the lack of coordination between departments, and the disregard for emergency protocols placed residents at unnecessary risk. I am demanding a full investigation, accountability for negligence, and a comprehensive review of the City’s emergency response systems,” said McKenzie.
In a public notification statement issued by eThekwini water and sanitation acting area manager Sandile Cele, he said that the unit takes pride in maintaining drinking water quality.
“We monitor our drinking water quality on a regular basis and we have discovered a slight water quality problem, which we are in the process of rectifying. As a precautionary measure, we would advise residents to boil drinking water to ensure their health is not affected in any manner. We are currently taking precautionary action in the pipelines in the area as well as the supplying reservoir,” Cele said.
Sisilana confirmed that the circulated message by Cele is an official public notice issued by the municipality as part of the standard communication process during water quality incidents.
“There was cross-contamination caused by a burst water pipe and sewer pipe in the same vicinity. As a result, control measures were promptly implemented in line with the municipality’s incident management protocol to safeguard public health,” Sisilana said.
zainul.dawood@inl.co.za
