eThekwini water, published 8 Oct 2026
Umlazi’s water, every month of 2026
From January to October, the city issued at least one notice each month naming Umlazi or the Southern Aqueduct that supplies it: shutdowns, rationing, restrictions and cuts.
Month by month
- JanPlanned Southern Aqueduct shutdown
- FebIntermittent supply: low production, high demand
- MarNagle Dam valve repairs, then a shutdown that overran
- AprShutdown finished; South Coast pipeline cut
- MayEmergency rationing
- JunPlanned Southern Aqueduct shutdown
- JulRestrictions, then a cut to Umlazi–Golokodo
- AugSupply reduced; leak repairs on the aqueduct
- SepPlanned supply interruption
- OctRestoration after the latest shutdown
Why it matters
Umlazi is one of the largest townships in the country and is fed mainly by the Southern Aqueduct. When the aqueduct is shut for repairs or upgrades, supply to Umlazi and surrounding areas such as Folweni and Golokodo falls with it.
City-wide, eThekwini reported that 55% of the water it treats is never billed (annual average, July 2026), and about 12,000 leaks were waiting for repair in June 2026.
How we counted
We read every water-related press statement on durban.gov.za from January 2025 to October 2026 and kept those about supply disruptions that name Umlazi or one of its sections (Stats SA Census 2011 place names), matched to wards using 2021 boundaries. We count Malukazi as part of Umlazi: Stats SA lists it as a separate place, but the city’s own notices call it Umlazi X. The list below counts those notices; the month-by-month summary also draws on notices about the Southern Aqueduct system that supplies Umlazi. Notices shared only on the city’s social media are not included, so the true count is likely higher.
Every 2026 notice
20 notices
Corrections
None yet.