The Complex History of Water Infrastructure in eThekwini
Water infrastructure politics in eThekwini, the municipality that includes Durban, have been a significant topic in South African media in recent years. Coverage has included the 2022 floods that damaged thousands of kilometers of pipes, the purchase of water tankers to address growing water scarcity, and the disconnection of residential water storage tanks from municipal pipes due to leaky infrastructure. Like many other South African municipalities, eThekwini has struggled with maintaining its piped water systems and has resorted to temporary solutions.
The city’s water politics have deep historical roots. Some of the current infrastructure challenges can be traced back to the mid-1800s when Durban was a British imperial port. As a historian interested in coastal communities and urban life, I conducted extensive research at the Durban Archives Repository, examining correspondence, reports, business contracts, newspaper clippings, and town council minutes. These records reveal how the colonial-era water infrastructure functioned—and for whom.
Early Water Technologies in Durban
The first water technologies in Durban were British-styled wells, which were accessible to everyone for free. These wells brought together people of different origins and classes for practical purposes but also created anxiety about social differences. For colonial officials, adherence to British standards was essential for accessing infrastructure. They established the first water-policing system, ostensibly for public health and conservation. While wealthier and white residents eventually relied on piped water, poorer and black (Zulu and Indian) residents were excluded.
This system laid the foundation for today’s unequal access to water. Many residents still depend on private water infrastructure as the municipal system struggles to meet demand.
Nineteenth-Century Infrastructure Development
Founded by British traders as Port Natal in 1824, Durban initially relied on standalone water infrastructures. Brick and cement wells were the first technologies used, as they were easy to build and maintain. Most wells had either a bucket or a pump attached. Pumps became more common after the borough made most wells publicly available in the mid-1850s.
Water tanks, on the other hand, were private technologies mainly installed underground. Only wealthier households and businesses could afford them, and they became prominent in the 1870s.
It is difficult to determine the exact number of these infrastructures, but by the 1870s, official reports indicate that about 18 public wells and pumps served the majority of the town’s approximately 20,000 inhabitants.
Piped water arrived in Durban in the 1880s, initially supplied by the spring at Curries Fountain. In 1889, the city’s laws were extended to cover private tanks filled from municipal pipes. Despite this, much of the population still relied on standalone infrastructures for their water supply.
Conflicts and Restrictions
As the population grew, conflicts over water resources began to emerge. Standalone infrastructures faced strain, as water availability varied depending on rainfall patterns. Disputes arose when communities drew too much water or polluted a well, leading to local water shortages.
White colonists often blamed African laborers—household servants, sanitary workers, and launderers—for water scarcity and contamination. These positions required close interaction with fresh water, making African laborers the primary users of wells, pumps, and tanks.
However, laborers did not always use water technologies according to colonial expectations. They were accustomed to using open water sources like rivers and streams, not restrictive iron and brick infrastructures. This led to modifications in their traditional practices, such as washing objects and produce at new technologies.
These actions sometimes caused problems, according to archive records. Laborers accidentally broke handles and chains when pumping too quickly. They drew water from tanks without using filters, which was seen as a health risk. Publicly washing clothing, bodies, and food at wells resulted in dirty wash water flowing back into enclosed water supplies.
Colonists exploited this situation to impose restrictions on how laborers could use standalone water infrastructures. Borough officials crafted new laws requiring colonized residents to conform to British standards. Those who failed to comply faced fines, verbal reprimands, and even jail time.
Water System Legacy
Durban was part of a colonial system based on white supremacy. The government sought to maintain segregation between white colonists and African and South Asian residents. It imbued its water technology regulations with the notion that British water management practices were “healthier” than others. If someone used a technology contrary to British standards, they faced restricted access to public technologies and the water they provided.
Stand-alone water infrastructures still exist across eThekwini. Many residents of informal settlements and formerly racially segregated areas remain officially unconnected to municipal pipes. They rely on local wells, pumps, and illegal individualized connections. An increasing number of households are investing in water tanks as the municipal water system becomes less reliable.
Modern Challenges and Inheritance
Although things have changed since the 19th century, the municipality continues to require residents to use these technologies within regulatory boundaries if they want to maintain access. Cutting off municipal water supply to private storage tanks is an example of this.
Infrastructural stopgaps further expose a water system that was never designed to provide equitable access to all residents. These actions highlight that today’s officials have inherited and inadvertently continue a water system that was meant to exclude rather than include, to punish rather than teach, and to restrict rather than provide.
Kristin Brig, Lecturer in Public Health & Society, Washington University in St. Louis