Collin Govender scoops clean water which has been flowing on Little Manor Road for two weeks.
Image: Monishka Govender
RESIDENTS of Phoenix are grappling with a severe service delivery crisis, marked by ongoing water leaks, erratic electricity supply, and contentious billing practices that are financially straining households.
Vivian Pillay from Ferapalm Close whose electricity meter reading is estimated.
Image: Monishka Govender
Disgruntled residents argued that the estimated utility billing by the eThekwini Municipality was unjust and unaffordable.
Vivian Pillay, 74, of Palmview, a former anti-apartheid activist, said the city’s billing system was the root of the widespread distress in the community.
“The biggest issue for me stems from the rent office. Estimated billing is illegal. If you cannot read somebody’s meter, you cannot give them an estimated bill and expect them to pay thousands. It is not fair or justified,” he said.
Pillay, who has lived in Phoenix for four decades, claimed that inconsistent meter readings, sometimes conducted only every few months, had resulted in inflated bills.
“The meter readers come every three months or so. Sometimes not at all. That is why residents receive bills of thousands of rand. My bill is between R1,300 and R1,700, but when estimates are used, it spikes.”
He warned that many residents were “trapped” into payment agreements for disputed amounts.
“Residents enter into credit agreements out of desperation. You pay 50% upfront and the rest over a few months. But what are you paying for? A mistake. If people do not question it, they pay for something they never used.”
According to Pillay, the burden fell hardest on vulnerable residents.
“People in Phoenix are stressed. I am talking about the poor and indigent residents. They struggle to make ends meet. Some must choose between transport to query a bill, or buy food. I have had pickets and protests at the rent office. We have even had meetings with the mayor, but nothing comes of it,” he said.
Sandra Naidoo's house in Trenance Manor is water logged from continuous water leaks.
Image: Monishka Govender
Beyond the billing disputes, residents said the ongoing failure by the municipality to repair leaking water infrastructure, was a crisis.
Sandra Naidoo, 66, from Trenance Manor, said a burst pipe had gushed water on to the road for weeks without intervention.
“A hole was created on the road by the water which gushed for three weeks. Nobody came to fix it. It was such a waste when other parts of Phoenix do not have water. I had to put a stick in the hole to warn drivers. Some workers came once, and filled it with sand and stones, but the leak is still there,” she said.
Naidoo also said the long-term flooding had started to damage her home.
“For one year the same water flooded my yard. My yard is now waterlogged. I cannot hang the clothes to dry. The water has gone into the foundation and cracked my walls. I am scared my house will collapse.
“I am a single mother. I do not have anything but my pension, and yet the government does not care. We cannot go outside the house when it is hot. Water is being wasted because of the burst pipe on the road, while we do not have water to drink on some days. It is very sad living in Phoenix.
Collin Govender and Vivian Pillay at a hole on Rangepark Close, that has been caused by a water leak.
Image: Monishka Govender
Residents said such temporary fixes by the municipality had become the norm.
Collin Govender, 59, from Little Manor, said flooding caused by burst pipes had created a health hazard in the community.
“The water is clean when it gushes out, but once it reaches our homes, it turns green. There are mosquitoes and bugs everywhere. Small children are suffering with insect bites. It has been weeks and nobody cares. There are mosquitoes and frogs everywhere. There is now mud and gushing water running down our road. Why must we continue to live like this when we pay our bills on time?”
Delaine Oodut, left, and ActionSA PR councillor, Alice Govender, in Broadfern Close, where flats have been flooded for the last three months.
Image: Monishka Govender
Delaine Oodut, 55 who has lived in Brayford for 20 years, said pleas for assistance from the municipality had fallen on deaf ears.
“Since December we have had a huge burst pipe in the front of our flats. The municipality repaired it. A week or two later, it started to leak again. The foundation is weakening. There are now multiple leaks in the one spot. Water is also coming through the concrete.
“The family on the ground floor have a problem getting in and out of their house because the big hole is in front of their door. Water even goes into their house. There is literally a river running in front of two flats.”
Oodut said their security had also been breached ever since the fence fell due to the overgrown grass, bushes and trees.
“This is a high crime area. This community cannot afford to have this situation. It is bad because the road which is behind the goes into Inanda. There are a lot of criminal elements using this road. We feel helpless. We lodge complaints and pay our utilities, but no one helps us. The municipality should be doing their job, and not make us run around and make the phone calls,” said Oodit.
Sham Maharaj at a road that was dug to fix cables, but burst a water pipe instead.
Image: Monishka Govender
Community leader Sham Maharaj, from Greenbury, believed the problems stemmed from systemic failures within municipal departments.
“There is zero supervision. They come, they dig, they fix something halfway and they leave. One department fixes electricity and breaks a water pipe. Then nobody comes back.”
He described widespread water loss across the township.
“We are losing 50% to 60% of our water through leaks. We see it flowing in the streets like a river and yet residents pay for that water.”
Maharaj also raised concerns about declining service standards and alleged inefficiencies in municipal operations.
“You will find eight workers on site, two working, others on their phones or resting. There is no accountability,” he said.
Maharaj said the burst water pipes caused potholes.
“There is always another leak. It has been the same place almost seven times. They come and fix it, and it breaks again. When the water runs on to the tar, the tar gets destroyed. The water runs consistently, making potholes.
“It has become so bad that we now expect it to happen, and just accept it. We pay for the wasted water. We even pay for stolen water and electricity, but if we pay our utility bills a day late, they cut it. Where is the justice?”
Holes created from burst water pipes.
Image: Monishka Govender
Alice Govender, an ActionSA PR councillor for Phoenix, confirmed the widespread delays in addressing infrastructure failures.
“There are leaks running for 15 to 20 days with no response. That is despite repeated escalation to senior officials.”
Alice said one major leak reported on March 5 was still unrepaired nearly two weeks later.
“This is a multifaceted problem. You report it, you escalate it, you contact the relevant officials, and still nothing happens. Residents are upset with the delays,” she said.
Govender also criticised the use of under-equipped contractors.
“Contractors arrive without proper equipment. In some cases, they ask residents for tools. That is unacceptable. They are not fixing issues properly, which is why the same leaks keep recurring.
“They cover up the holes and move on. The issue becomes worse when a hole is not covered properly. They just throw in some rubble over water pipes and close the hole. When a car goes over it, the pipes burst with the friction of the rubble,” she said.
Residents retrieve water from a burst hydrant after the water supply was cut for days to fix it.
Image: Supplied
Residents across multiple areas, including Grove End, Brookdale and Palmview, reported frequent water outages, often during peak hours.
Community leader Jonathan Tissong said some areas received water for only a few hours a day.
“In Grove End, water comes on at 4am and goes off at 9am. Senior citizens suffer the most because they are not able to collect water from the tankers. We are lucky that private water companies help us every day. When the water supply returns, the air in the line makes the meters run quickly.”
“The bills get higher every day. When the supply returns, the pressure increases. This bursts the pipes because the infrastructure is so old. We keep having water outages, but we still have to pay our bills. It is a never-ending issue.”
He added that poor maintenance extended beyond the water challenges.
“Street lights are not repaired, roads are full of potholes, and electricity outages happen frequently. It is dangerous, there are accidents and robberies because of the darkness,” Tissong said.
“There are many accidents and robberies because of the darkness on JD Champion Road. Residents here have gone a year without street lights. The municipality is failing to assist us with maintenance and infrastructure. They do not cut bushes or trees, which are a safety issue.
“Unit 17 has frequent electric cuts. The municipality does not fix the problem the first time, causing more issues in surrounding areas. We are destined to suffer,” said Tissong.
Homes flooded with stagnant water causing health issues and bug infestation.
Image: Monishka Govender
Residents also highlighted the financial strain caused by high municipal costs combined with poor service delivery.
Nielisha Manipershad, 37, from Longcroft, said residents paid “exorbitant” rates despite inadequate services.
“We have had continuous water cuts for long periods of time in my area. We do not get water tankers. They did not like to come into my area. We also have electricity outages on multiple days. Cables get damaged and are not fixed quickly.”
She said safety was becoming an issue.
“There are portals everywhere which are damaging our vehicles. Vagrants live in overgrown bushes. Safety has become an issue. Near the old Trade Centre, community members cut the bush recently and many vagrants came out.”
She said municipal bills were drowning them.
“The municipality has issued high evaluations for our homes. This means we pay higher rates. The tariffs on water and electricity are already high. We pay exorbitant prices in Phoenix. This is not a suburb, but a township. They cannot afford these high bills especially when we do not get even half of our service delivery.
“Most people in Phoenix are pensioners. Their grant money cannot stretch to pay these bills and get a plate of food on the table. Phoenix has also become overpopulated because of the new Blackburn area. Since there are no facilities there, residents come to Phoenix overcrowding our schools and hospitals. The overpopulation is killing us. We are suffering here,” said Manipershad.
Gloria Manikun in front of her broken electricity meter.
Image: Monishka Govender
Gloria Manikun, 42, from Peppergreen Walk, echoed concerns about billing linked to faulty meters.
“Last month, the meter's reading dial stopped working but it was fixed the day after I reported the compliant. The meter has not worked since January. I reported it but it has not yet been fixed..
“The meter is just not running and they keep estimating the bill every month. It is very frustrating because we pay the rates, but we do not get proper service delivery in Phoenix,” said Manikun.
While many residents blamed municipal failures, Roy Sukdev, PRO of the Giving Hope Foundation, said residents must also take responsibility.
“While we struggle with municipal service delivery which is impacting negatively on our community, many residents are also contributing to the decay of our once-proud suburb. The lack of civic pride and community participation is dwindling very fast and being replaced by apathy at a faster rate.”
Overgrown bushes causing safety issue.
Image: Monishka Govender
Sukdev urged residents to unite and demand better services while also improving community participation.
“Our community is no longer united to tackle our issues or improve the cleanliness in our residential areas. It is common knowledge that our environment is getting filthier due to the increase in illegal dumping which is becoming the flagship of our city. Ultimately the residents of Phoenix will pay the price once our suburb turns into a slum area. I encourage our community to rally together, stand up and fight for the services we deserve, and reignite our civic pride and resilience,” said Sukdev.