Cameras on water tankers help nab KZN municipal workers

Four staff members from Umzinyathi district municipality in KwaZulu-Natal have been suspended after they were implicated in the theft and illegal sale of water.

Many areas under the rural administration do not have access to tap water and rely on tankers.

The municipality installed cameras on its tankers after receiving "many complaints" from communities about government workers demanding money for water, said mayor Thembisile Mchunu.

"We have been made aware that some staff members are selling water to people. What they are doing is illegal," she said, adding more workers are expected to be suspended.

TimesLIVE has learnt some municipal staff allegedly charge R500 to R600 to fill a storage tank. It has been reported water shortages in Umzinyathi have also created an enterprise for some local bakkie drivers who sell water they fetch from local dams. The drivers are said to be charging the same rates as municipal staff.

Umzinyathi has a history of receiving poor financial audit opinions from the auditor-general's office. As a result, the municipality has been placed under administration.

TimesLIVE