Durban — The Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) will monitor and assist in the eThekwini Municipality’s progress in infrastructure upgrades.
This was revealed at a joint press conference by the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry and eThekwini Municipality held at the Durban City Hall on Thursday.
The allocation of disaster relief funding of R184 million from the National Treasury to the city was not enough, said eThekwini mayor Mxolisi Kaunda when he outlined the progress the city was making in rehabilitating the infrastructure that was damaged during the April and May floods.
The estimated cost of the repairs is R160 million for pump stations and over R300 million for water treatment works.
Kaunda assured the business sector that the municipality is resolving service delivery challenges that disrupt their business operations, adding that he wanted to create a conducive environment for investment that would lead to economic growth.
“The city has heard the concerns raised by the business community and by residents about waste management. To rid Durban of grime and filth, each street in the inner city will have dedicated teams that pick up litter and sweep the streets in all shifts. Area managers will be conducting inspections during their shifts in the areas they are supervising,” he said.
Kaunda commended the private sector and civil society organisations for putting their shoulder to the wheel in addressing the plight of the displaced flood victims.
President of the DCCI, Prashen Maharaj, said the city was facing a crisis. He said one cannot chirp from the sidelines or be a constant complainer.
What the DCCI decided to do was to throw the might of business capital behind not only the city, but all the stakeholders that are economic role-players to avert an economic crisis that could be pending, he said, adding that the DCCI wanted to become part of the solution.
“We would rather be solution-oriented and work together in a co-operative and collaborative manner. Service delivery challenges and the inefficiencies in the port severely impact on business, as a result, we have slow economic growth and the cost of doing business increases,” he said.
Maharaj said the DCCI and the public have complained in the past and it has not solved the problem. The private sector, Maharaj said, came together quickly after the floods to assist.
“We were able to open some of the beaches because the private sector lent private sector efficiency and capital, just like moral support, to solve the problem. Going forward, that is the kind of relationship we need between the private sector and government and state-owned enterprises.”
The DCCI would monitor local, provincial and national governments to ensure that they were held accountable.
Daily News