Based on recent customer reviews, Ethekwini Water And Sanitation is facing significant dissatisfaction from residents across Durban communities. Customers consistently mention prolonged water outages lasting days, unresolved leaking pipes and burst meters, and tickets being closed without any actual repair work completed. A recurring theme is poor communication, unanswered calls, and repeated escalations that yield no response. Residents also raise concerns about disputed and inflated billing, alleged scam attempts by individuals claiming to represent the utility, and a general sense that paid-for services are not being delivered reliably.
TrustIndex
2
NPS Score
-100
Recommended: Unlikely
Nov '25 - Oct '26
Frequently Asked Questions About Ethekwini Water And Sanitation
What do customers say about Ethekwini Water And Sanitation?
Based on recent customer reviews, Ethekwini Water And Sanitation is facing significant dissatisfaction from residents across Durban communities. Customers consistently mention prolonged water outages lasting days, unresolved leaking pipes and burst meters, and tickets being closed without any actual repair work completed. A recurring theme is poor communication, unanswered calls, and repeated escalations that yield no response. Residents also raise concerns about disputed and inflated billing, alleged scam attempts by individuals claiming to represent the utility, and a general sense that paid-for services are not being delivered reliably.
Is Ethekwini Water And Sanitation trustworthy?
Ethekwini Water And Sanitation has a TrustIndex of 2 out of 10 on Hellopeter, based on 10 reviews in the last 12 months. Hellopeter has tracked Ethekwini Water And Sanitation across 46 total reviews. How is the TrustIndex calculated? →
Recent reviews (10)
Used this business recently? Share your experience to help others decide.
Used this business recently? Share your experience to help others decide.
Share Your Experience1 reviews | Active since Jan 2019
Beyond useless and utterly ***********
My water meter stopped working almost two years ago. I only discovered the fact about 8 months later. Since then I have made at least 14 attempts to get the meter repaired or replaced. Nothing happens. I first complained in person at a community open day held by eThekwini Municipality, and no doubt paid for by rate payer's money. The person who heard my complaint at the open day appeared out of his depth but told me to go home and run a tap for a few minutes and see if the meter was still off! I felt I wasn't taken seriously but I did as asked and for good measure did another reading the next day and sent that to him via email too. He never even acknowledged receipt of my emails, despite a further attempt to contact him a few months later. Realising he was a dead loss I went to a Sizakala Centre to report the issue but was told they don't deal with that it is the responsibility of Water and Sanitation Services. I Googled them to get their location and their website actually discouraged members of the public from coming in to see them, saying it is the "preferred option" for people to do their complaints online. Clearly they can't be bothered to deal with the public. I attempted to lay a complaint via email to the *** email address on the website and the person who rep**** clearly hadn't even bothered to read what I had written and despite the fact I wanted to report a broken water meter I was simply told that I couldn't send my meter readings to that email address any longer and had to use the services portal, a response which didn't address my complaint at all. So much for using the services portal instead of coming in to see them in person! I tried complaining on their WhatsApp platform but that is a chatbot and the listed options that I was offered didn't include non-functioning water meter. I had to settle for burst meter and was then given a ***. That was in November 2025 and it is now September 2026 and nothing has been done. A second attempt some months later saw me finally dealing with a human agent who noted my complaint and gave me a ***. 5 months later nothing has been done. I even contacted our ward councillor via email and WhatsApp several times but despite reassurances that he has passed the information on to the relevant manager I am still waiting for any action. Using the UP-WARD platform recommended on our community area group chat has also failed to produce results as three months later I am still waiting. Nobody does ANYTHING to try to resolve the problem and after 14 separate attempts to get the issue resolved I am still sitting with a non functioning water meter. In the meanwhile I am using water every day and live in dread of the day eThekwini will suddenly realise there is something odd about the fact an occupied residential property uses no water and I will then be hit with a huge bill of estimated costs, very likely inflated as little tweaks like that to generate funds to be embezzled are the order of the day in Durban. I am a pensioner and will be crippled financially if that happens. I have been very proactive in trying to resolve the issue but absolutely NOBODY is prepared to help me and I will be the one sitting in a nightmarish situation with financial hardship at the end of the day when that massive water bill arrives. This is a disgusting way to treat a ratepayer whose rates sent up this year while service delivery has dwindled to non-existent. eThekwini Water and Sanitation Services are an absolute disgrace, why are we paying their salaries with our rates money?
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2019
Beyond useless and utterly ***********
My water meter stopped working almost two years ago. I only discovered the fact about 8 months later. Since then I have made at least 14 attempts to get the meter repaired or replaced. Nothing happens. I first complained in person at a community open day held by eThekwini Municipality, and no doubt paid for by rate payer's money. The person who heard my complaint at the open day appeared out of his depth but told me to go home and run a tap for a few minutes and see if the meter was still off! I felt I wasn't taken seriously but I did as asked and for good measure did another reading the next day and sent that to him via email too. He never even acknowledged receipt of my emails, despite a further attempt to contact him a few months later. Realising he was a dead loss I went to a Sizakala Centre to report the issue but was told they don't deal with that it is the responsibility of Water and Sanitation Services. I Googled them to get their location and their website actually discouraged members of the public from coming in to see them, saying it is the "preferred option" for people to do their complaints online. Clearly they can't be bothered to deal with the public. I attempted to lay a complaint via email to the *** email address on the website and the person who rep**** clearly hadn't even bothered to read what I had written and despite the fact I wanted to report a broken water meter I was simply told that I couldn't send my meter readings to that email address any longer and had to use the services portal, a response which didn't address my complaint at all. So much for using the services portal instead of coming in to see them in person! I tried complaining on their WhatsApp platform but that is a chatbot and the listed options that I was offered didn't include non-functioning water meter. I had to settle for burst meter and was then given a ***. That was in November 2025 and it is now September 2026 and nothing has been done. A second attempt some months later saw me finally dealing with a human agent who noted my complaint and gave me a ***. 5 months later nothing has been done. I even contacted our ward councillor via email and WhatsApp several times but despite reassurances that he has passed the information on to the relevant manager I am still waiting for any action. Using the UP-WARD platform recommended on our community area group chat has also failed to produce results as three months later I am still waiting. Nobody does ANYTHING to try to resolve the problem and after 14 separate attempts to get the issue resolved I am still sitting with a non functioning water meter. In the meanwhile I am using water every day and live in dread of the day eThekwini will suddenly realise there is something odd about the fact an occupied residential property uses no water and I will then be hit with a huge bill of estimated costs, very likely inflated as little tweaks like that to generate funds to be embezzled are the order of the day in Durban. I am a pensioner and will be crippled financially if that happens. I have been very proactive in trying to resolve the issue but absolutely NOBODY is prepared to help me and I will be the one sitting in a nightmarish situation with financial hardship at the end of the day when that massive water bill arrives. This is a disgusting way to treat a ratepayer whose rates sent up this year while service delivery has dwindled to non-existent. eThekwini Water and Sanitation Services are an absolute disgrace, why are we paying their salaries with our rates money?
1 reviews | Active since Apr 2021
Reported leaking water meter on 14 July 2026 with ref F260714/1377 and water is damaging my property
Reported leaking water meter on 14 July 2026 with ref F260714/1377 and water is damaging my property. It's now almost 2 months no action
1 reviews | Active since Apr 2021
Reported leaking water meter on 14 July 2026 with ref F260714/1377 and water is damaging my property
Reported leaking water meter on 14 July 2026 with ref F260714/1377 and water is damaging my property. It's now almost 2 months no action
1 reviews | Active since Nov 2020
No Water
There has been no water since yesterday morning. Our councilors informed us that the reservoirs are open and filled but we in Phoenix, Durban do not have any water and our ward councilors cannot give us any answers.
1 reviews | Active since Nov 2020
No Water
There has been no water since yesterday morning. Our councilors informed us that the reservoirs are open and filled but we in Phoenix, Durban do not have any water and our ward councilors cannot give us any answers.
1 reviews | Active since Jul 2024
*****
I have flat in Durban I used to pay my water bills and suddenly on 2022 July I received 12000 bill while I’m staying alone and when I reported this to them they said maybe there is a lil they send their assessor but there was no lik and they haven’t removed that money on my account .
1 reviews | Active since Jul 2024
*****
I have flat in Durban I used to pay my water bills and suddenly on 2022 July I received 12000 bill while I’m staying alone and when I reported this to them they said maybe there is a lil they send their assessor but there was no lik and they haven’t removed that money on my account .
1 reviews | Active since May 2023
No plumbers
I have 2 days without water becoming they broke the pipe and stole the meter…i did report and it day 2 now water is leaking and they is no way to stop it since they is no meter…. Iam very disappointed
1 reviews | Active since May 2023
No plumbers
I have 2 days without water becoming they broke the pipe and stole the meter…i did report and it day 2 now water is leaking and they is no way to stop it since they is no meter…. Iam very disappointed
1 reviews | Active since Mar 2026
Residents in Newlands Struggling With Constant Water Outages
We have been experiencing an ongoing water crisis in Newlands, Durban since 2024, and it has become extremely frustrating for residents in our area. The water supply is highly unreliable. Some days the water goes off for hours, and other times we are left without water for multiple days at a time. Many of us come home from work and school expecting to carry on with normal daily routines, but we cannot even do basic things like shower, cook meals, wash dishes, or clean our homes because there is simply no water. Residents have had to start storing water in buckets, bottles, and containers just to get through the day, but that is often not enough, especially for families. Water tankers are supposed to assist during outages, but they hardly come to the area, leaving residents to struggle and find alternatives on their own. What makes the situation even more frustrating is that there always seems to be a different explanation for the outages. One day we are told a pipe is being repaired, another day the reservoir is empty, and other times there is no clear communication at all. These explanations happen so frequently that they no longer make sense to residents who have been dealing with this problem for over a year. It is unacceptable for a community to live under these conditions for such a long period of time. Access to water is a basic necessity, not a luxury. Residents in Newlands deserve reliable service, proper communication, and real solutions instead of constant disruptions and unclear explanations. We urge the municipality to take this issue seriously, improve infrastructure, and ensure that residents have a consistent and dependable water supply. Living like this is not sustainable, and the community deserves better.
1 reviews | Active since Mar 2026
Residents in Newlands Struggling With Constant Water Outages
We have been experiencing an ongoing water crisis in Newlands, Durban since 2024, and it has become extremely frustrating for residents in our area. The water supply is highly unreliable. Some days the water goes off for hours, and other times we are left without water for multiple days at a time. Many of us come home from work and school expecting to carry on with normal daily routines, but we cannot even do basic things like shower, cook meals, wash dishes, or clean our homes because there is simply no water. Residents have had to start storing water in buckets, bottles, and containers just to get through the day, but that is often not enough, especially for families. Water tankers are supposed to assist during outages, but they hardly come to the area, leaving residents to struggle and find alternatives on their own. What makes the situation even more frustrating is that there always seems to be a different explanation for the outages. One day we are told a pipe is being repaired, another day the reservoir is empty, and other times there is no clear communication at all. These explanations happen so frequently that they no longer make sense to residents who have been dealing with this problem for over a year. It is unacceptable for a community to live under these conditions for such a long period of time. Access to water is a basic necessity, not a luxury. Residents in Newlands deserve reliable service, proper communication, and real solutions instead of constant disruptions and unclear explanations. We urge the municipality to take this issue seriously, improve infrastructure, and ensure that residents have a consistent and dependable water supply. Living like this is not sustainable, and the community deserves better.
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2023
Poor service
Very bad service from Ethekwini water and sanitation. Our house had no water for 8 whole days and with numerous calls and follow ups theres still no response or any action from the Ethekwini municipality people. How can anyone survive over a week with no water? Service is 0/5 honestly
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2023
Poor service
Very bad service from Ethekwini water and sanitation. Our house had no water for 8 whole days and with numerous calls and follow ups theres still no response or any action from the Ethekwini municipality people. How can anyone survive over a week with no water? Service is 0/5 honestly