In a heart-warming display of community spirit, businesses and organisations in and around Durban have stepped in to answer the desperate call for assistance from residents in eThekwini, who have endured severe water shortages.

For many households, the struggle to secure water has lasted days, weeks, and in some cases, months.

The issues plaguing eThekwini Municipality range from damage caused by recent floods to an aging infrastructure and rampant vandalism, which have severely disrupted the essential service of water distribution, leaving communities such as oThongathi and Verulam particularly vulnerable.

Ricky Naidoo, the owner of the Verulam-based packaging company Venk-Pac, has emerged as a beacon of hope for residents in and around Durban grappling with severe water shortages.

Naidoo, although firmly planted in the packaging sector, has dedicated millions of rand to address the plight of local communities suffering from ongoing water outages and inadequate service delivery.

Venk-Pac has taken it upon itself to distribute between 120 000 to 150 000 litres of water daily from its own boreholes equipped with filtration systems.

With a fleet of five trucks, each capable of carrying between 8 000 to 12 000 litres, the company carries out multiple trips each day, tirelessly serving areas from oThongathi to the affluent uMhlanga.

“Every day, seven days a week for the last three years my drivers have gone out to communities who are in desperate need of water, and in some instances, they only return around 2am,” he said.

This relentless commitment arose from a personal experience during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 when, confined to a hospital bed in eThekwini, Naidoo discovered that residents had no water and he began sending a truck of water to the area daily.

Asked what motivates him to continue year after year, Naidoo said: “How could I not help? Imagine seeing an 80-year-old woman waiting for hours for a water tanker only to have to carry that bucket back up the stairs to her home.”

The local philanthropist admitted that there are many wealthy people in the region who have not stepped up to assist these communities in need of water, which vary from areas such as oThongathi, Verulam, Phoenix, and Chatsworth to areas like uMhlanga and even businesses.

He said Venk-Pac is inundated with calls for assistance and once his drivers are done with their daily work duties they load their trucks and go out to deliver water. “They sacrifice time that they could be spending with their families to make these deliveries.”

Recently, after a rare day of rest was planned, a desperate call from a new mother without water compelled Naidoo to immediately recall his drivers for assistance.

“There is only so much I can do,” he emphasised, explaining that they do not have the capacity to deliver water to everyone who does not have water but rather they prioritise those who are most in need.

Naidoo noted that eThekwini municipality has over the years failed to provide its residents with an essential service by neglecting to maintain infrastructure in areas like oThongathi, which experience burst pipes daily.

He said Venk-Pac also installed 48 JoJo tanks, with a 5 000-litre capacity, in oThongathi during the flooding at a cost of R350 000, some of which have been stolen. “This is all done with zero benefit to me or my company and I will continue to do it as long as I am able because I cannot turn down a call for help,” said Naidoo.

Pradeep Ramlall, from the Hindu Dharma Association of South Africa, said the organisation has installed boreholes for temples, non-governmental organisations and deep rural communities.

Ramlall said boreholes, which are funded by the organisation, are more sustainable than other methods of assisting with water.

“We provided boreholes to ashrams and they then provide water to surrounding communities in Phoenix and Chatsworth,” he said.

He said each borehole costs between R120 000 and R150 000 and in some cases water treatment costs are incurred. However, he noted that during an emergency, water is not treated as it requires a skilled person who understands water treatment and is only safe to drink once boiled.

According to Ramlall, the Verulam community is severely affected and their issues are not going to go away quickly.

“People are suffering. Without water, what do you do? Municipal failure in service delivery over time is systemic. The municipality is failing residents by not providing this basic service. It’s a serious problem and the root cause is incompetence,” he said.

He added that when there is an emergency, like a tornado in oThongathi or flooding, they provide bottled water.

“We bought bottled water in 5-litre containers and we gave it to the communities because water is not a luxury good; you need it for drinking, washing, bathing, and cooking. People just don’t have water and what do you do?”

Prenesh Jagganath, who is the immediate past president and current vice-president of the Rotary Club of Reservoir Hills, said the first time the NGO got involved was after the floods a few years ago when oThongathi was badly affected, having had no water for months.

“We used to buy 1 500 bottles of water, 5-litre bottles, at a cost of R10 000 delivered mostly to the pension cottages in Flamingo Heights, Belvedere, and Main Street in Tongaat every week for I think six weeks,” he said.

Last year, during his term as president, Jagganath said the organisation delivered 10 water tanks to Verulam and Ottawa, which are constantly without water.

“Six tanks went to Verulam and four to Ottawa. The community had stepped up and put up the bases and all they wanted was the supply of tanks and they were managing the tanks and security involving the community and the CPF,” he said.

Jagganath said while the Rotary Club answered the call for assistance, the municipality should have serviced these communities.

“The municipality has failed to deliver this essential service. It is their responsibility,” he said.

He said oThongathi and Verulam are severely affected with water supply issues, far worse than our own communities, and a decision was taken by the organisation to help.

“When I spoke to Roshan Lil-Ruthan from the Verulam Water Crisis Committee, there was a desperate need because the tankers, according to them, were non-existent and the best option for them was to have tanks placed at strategic points and people could come and collect water from them,” he said.

karen.singh@inl.co.za