‘We cannot live like this': Reservoir Hills infrastructure collapse leaves residents desperate

RESERVOIR Hills residents are living in crisis as decades of infrastructure neglect by the eThekwini Municipality has led to daily water leaks, power outages, crumbling roads and illegal dumping.

Unregulated student accommodation also plagued the area, claimed the resident.

“It is a nightmare to live here," said one resident, as community leaders warn the situation had reached breaking point with elderly and vulnerable residents suffering the most.

Ish Prahladh, chairperson of the Reservoir Hills Ratepayers and Residents Association (RHRRA) and president of the eThekwini Ratepayers’ and Residents’ Association (ERRA), said the crisis was as a result of decades of neglect, poor workmanship and a failure to upgrade the municipality’s ageing infrastructure.

“We are always dealing with leaks on our roads. Every time a leak is fixed by the municipality, it is a matter of time before the problem presents itself again. Yes, the pipes are old, but the workmanship by the municipality contractors is also very poor. There is no proper inspection to check if the work is done correctly and to standard,” he said.

Water pipes:

Prahladh said most of water pipes in Reservoir Hills was over 30 years old and made of concrete, which made the situation worse.

“What happens is when a pipe bursts, the municipality removes a section of the concrete pipe and replaces it with plastic. The plastic pipe is stronger, so the pressure causes the concrete pipe a few metres away to then burst.

This cycle just continues. It is patchwork, bandage work, and that is the biggest problem,” he added.

According to Prahladh the areas hardest hit included Umgudulu Road, Varsity Drive, Plumstead Crescent and Whitaker Avenue.

“These areas are the worst affected because of the poor infrastructure. Some of the leaks in these areas are long standing. Water just flows continuously, and nothing is properly sorted out,” he said.

He added that when repairs are eventually done, they are often left incomplete.

“The municipality will come and repair the leak, fair enough. However, they often leave the hole open for weeks with just danger tape around it. When you ask when it will be filled, there is always an excuse - no soil, no staff, no tools.”

Road conditions and student accommodation:

Prahladh said the condition of the roads was another major concern.

“Our roads are a mess. They do patch jobs instead of resurfacing the entire road, leaving it untidy and very difficult to drive on. The roads are always bumpy. Heavy trucks servicing the student accommodation damage the roads even more. They fix it, and a few days later, there is another problem,” he said.

Prahladh also raised concerns about the rezoning of residential homes into student accommodation.

“More and more houses are being turned into student residences, and the infrastructure simply cannot cope. The water, electricity and roads were never designed for this influx of people,” he said.

Illegal dumping:

Illegal dumping has become another growing frustration, with Prahladh pointing fingers at contractors and people from outside contributing to the problem.

“A lot of contractors doing renovations dump rubble in Reservoir Hills because they do not want to pay to dispose of it properly. People from other areas also come here to dump,” he said.

Despite this, Prahladh praised residents for stepping up.

“Residents are angry, but they are awake. They are taking pictures, sending them to us, and people are getting fined. We do name and shame, but dumping still continues. It is like a disease,” he said.

He added that community clean-up initiatives had become essential.

“If it was not for organisations like We Feed SA, providing extra labour, Reservoir Hills would be one big dump,” he said.

‘It affects my livelihood’:

For Varsity Drive resident and mechanic Harash Harichunder, 68, the ongoing service delivery failures have had a direct impact on his business.

“We have water issues every single week. There is a leak outside my house that has been going on for two weeks. Electricity outages last for days, sometimes for two days at a time, and this happens every week,” he said.”

Harichunder said the ongoing power outages made it impossible to run his business.

“I cannot use my tools and my customers cannot get their cars fixed. The dry taps is an even worse problem. How do we live without being able to flush a toilet or cook food?” he asked.

Harichunder, who has lived in the area for 50 years, said Reservoir Hills had changed drastically over the years.

“My grandparents paid for every single light pole from Quarry Road to Varsity Drive, and now we do not even have lights every day. It is heartbreaking,” he said.

He also expressed concern about the behaviour of students.

“Students burn mattresses and cause chaos when things do not go their way. The area is overcrowded, and the infrastructure just cannot take it,” he added.

‘We never have a good time here’:

Retired UKZN administrator Shane Kisoon (60) from Westdene Terrace echoed similar sentiments.

“As we speak, we do not have electricity. Water and power outages are ongoing. The infrastructure is terrible, and we cannot get through to the municipality.”

Kisoon said residents often resorted to private solutions.

“We work together as a community. We even call private plumbers because when the municipality takes too long and they do not explain anything. Then the problem returns the next week,” said Kisoon.

He added that even backup systems were not enough.

“Solar panels and inverters cannot run air conditioners. The heat is unbearable. Some people have JoJo tanks, but not everyone can afford that.”

Kisoon believes the core issue was the outdated infrastructure.

“The municipality is using infrastructure which is over 30-years old while the demand has increased massively. The pipes cannot handle the pressure. We pay rates and taxes, but we do not get the service we deserve. We hope that in the next election something changes for us because we cannot carry on living like this. It is too difficult,” said Kisoon.

‘A nightmare to live here’:

Umgudulu Road resident Deven Moodley (52) described his street as one of the worst in Reservoir Hills, with constant pipe bursts, damaged roads and prolonged water and electricity outages.

“There is always one issue after the other, every single day. This year has been the worst ever. During the week of New Year’s Eve alone, we had five pipe bursts,” said Moodley.

He said the situation had become routine, with municipal response times being ‘slow and ineffective’.

“When we phone the municipality, they tell us they are short of plumbers, and then they come very late. They shut off the valves and leave us without water for days without securing a team to actually fix the problem.

“The first teams that show up are generally terrible. They do not fix anything properly because the pipe just bursts again. It is always patchwork. Nothing is done properly,” he said.

The repeated pipe bursts have also left the roads in a poor condition.

“The roads are uneven because the pipes are always bursting. They dig, they patch, and then they leave. Our area looks run down.”

Beyond infrastructure, Moodley raised serious safety and social concerns, particularly regarding the growth of informal settlements nearby.

“The informal settlements are getting bigger and bigger, and they are putting pressure on our water and electricity. Nothing is being done about it. People jump my wall and even steal clothes from my washing line. Crime is on the rise.”

He said illegal dumping had also become widespread, affecting the elderly residents who have poor health.

“I now see the elderly suffering. There is dumping everywhere. What was once a beautiful area now looks dirty and neglected. We cannot even get through to the municipality. Reservoir Hills is always given the back seat, but we pay very high rates and we are not comfortable at all.”

He added that community members were forced to step in where the municipality had failed.

“People like Ish Prahladh and other residents are cleaning the area instead of the municipality. That is not right. It is the municipality’s job.”

Moodley said the lack of basic services had become emotionally and financially draining for residents.

“Imagine coming home from work or leaving for work and there is no water. Many people cannot even afford to buy water. The cost of living is already so high - people need to put food on the table. I love Reservoir Hills, but I do not want to live here anymore. I am very disappointed.

“I hope with the upcoming local elections things will change and our area will finally be fixed to improve the living conditions,” he said.

Pensioners struggling:

For pensioner Lalitha Thalasaie, 65, of Madras Road, the situation is especially dire.

“My husband and I live off a government pension. We cannot afford solar panels or JoJo tanks. We already paid for water and electricity - we should not have to worry about not having it. We have to worry about putting food on our table." 

She said burst pipes outside her home was a constant issue.

“When they fix it, they leave a big hole with no sand. It is unsightly and dangerous. We need help. I have been living here for 48 years. It used to be a beautiful area when there were no issues, but for many years it has been going downhill. They also used to be illegal dumping at our stop street which thankfully has stopped.

“The government needs to do better, our area has truly become terrible and unsightly. We need help,” Thalasaie pleaded.

‘We feel forgotten’:

Plumstead Crescent resident Sheena Narothum, 60, said she felt that residents on certain sides of Reservoir Hills were treated unfairly.

“I have been living in Reservoir Hills for 45 years. There are always leaks on our roads and we have no electricity. I have been complaining to our ward councillor endlessly, without any help.

“However, those on Mount Batten Drive get help immediately. On our side, we wait for days with no water or electricity. I also have to make a plan to get the water tanker to our road because it does not service us during water outages. There was an elderly man who was in diapers who had no water. We had to help him. There are electricity issues almost every day,” she said.

Narothum, who is diabetic, said outages were particularly dangerous.

“I need insulin. Having no electricity and water is not easy. There is no warning and no feedback. However, the informal settlements have lights and water, but we pay and do not enjoy the service.”

She shared the same sentiment about the student accommodation. 

“People take the residential houses and turn them into student accommodation. The infrastructure cannot take the influx of people who are not living in the area.

“It is truly scary and sad the situation we are in. We cannot even afford to have extra things to make life easier when the electricity and water is cut. Life has become increasingly difficult in Reservoir Hills. I hope to see a change soon because our ward councillors have failed us to date,” said Narothum.

Service delivery:

Alicia Kissoon, the eThekwini Ward 23 councillor, said “The residents of Reservoir Hills and Clare Estate are being subjected to a systemic collapse of basic services that has reached an intolerable level.

“Since December 2025, it has become a daily reality for my community to report either a major pipe burst or a prolonged electricity outage which is the direct result of years of infrastructure neglect and administrative incompetence,” she said.

“Residents and I have been forced to become unpaid municipal inspectors because reticulation maps are outdated, valves are seized and pressure reducing valves are not reset while the elderly and vulnerable are left without a single water tanker in sight.”

Kissoon said despite her constant requests at budget hearings over the past several years, there had been zero meaningful allocation for infrastructure upgrades in these high-burst areas.

“It is a slap in the face to every struggling ratepayer to be told the city has a 'water turnaround strategy' while we have over 60% non-revenue water loss and they are forced to watch their streets flood from leaks while their own taps are empty. Councillors are often the first point of contact for these failures but the municipality must take immediate responsibility and provide more plumbers towards commensurate with the volume of bursts and stop ignoring the warnings of councillors during budget planning,” she added.

“The call center must also be transformed from a ticket generator into a proactive communication hub that provides realistic timeframes. I refuse to accept this as the new normal and I will continue to provide the city with the evidence of their failures until the residents of Reservoir Hills and Clare Estate receive the service delivery they pay for and deserve,” said Kissoon.

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