The mayor of uMgungundlovu District Municipality, Mzi Zuma, has banned a water tanker driver caught red-handed selling water to selected households in Maqongqo, under the uMkhambathini Municipality, instead of delivering it to the intended community in Richmond Municipality.
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The mayor of uMgungundlovu District Municipality, Mzi Zuma, has ordered the immediate removal of a water tanker driver caught selling water intended for communities facing shortages.
Zuma instructed officials to notify the service provider that the driver is no longer permitted to operate in areas under uMgungundlovu. The driver was found selling water in Maqongqo, under the uMkhambathini Municipality, despite being assigned to supply communities in Richmond.
The two areas are roughly 60km apart, raising concerns about the unauthorised diversion of municipal resources. At the time he was caught, the driver was expected to be delivering water to areas under the Richmond municipality but was instead supplying selected households in Maqongqo.
Zuma said residents who wish to purchase water must do so through official municipal channels, where tankers deliver water according to recorded payments. However, the households receiving water from the driver had not followed this process.
According to the mayor, this misconduct has contributed to widespread shortages, with some residents reportedly going without water for up to two weeks.
“There are residents who do not receive water. When the tanker arrives, people come out with buckets, but the driver bypasses them after supplying preferred households,” Zuma said.
He accused the driver of effectively running a private business using municipal resources, forcing the municipality to absorb the costs.
The mayor of uMgungundlovu District Municipality Mzi Zuma confronting the water tanker driver who was caught red-handed supplying water in an area he was not designated to be in. The driver has since been banned in the district.
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“We pay for water to be delivered to communities, but you redirect it to households that pay you directly. That means we are funding your private operation,” he said.
Zuma warned that such actions undermine public trust and fuel frustration toward the municipality, particularly in areas like Richmond, where residents are left waiting for services that never arrive.
He added that the vehicle’s tracking system confirmed the driver had deviated from his assigned route.
“The truck has a tracker. You were dispatched to Richmond but chose to operate elsewhere. Your presence here was not to assist the community, but to conduct private business,” Zuma said.
The municipality has since instructed the contractor to replace the driver and assign him to a different area as he was not welcome under uMgungundlovu areas emphasising that such conduct will not be tolerated.