Durban — DA leader John Steenhuisen is expected to lead an oversight inspection on Friday at the Umbilo Wastewater Treatment Works, a day after eThekwini Municipality mayor Mxolisi Kaunda indicated that repairs to water and sanitation infrastructure were ongoing.
Accompanying Steenhuisen will be DA KZN leader Francois Rodgers, DA provincial chairperson Dean Macpherson, DA eThekwini caucus leader Thabani Mthethwa, DA West Durban constituency head Martin Meyer and councillors.
The DA said the already ailing treatment works were damaged during the April floods and, to date, nothing had been done to repair the infrastructure and restore the service.
“Sewerage from the broken facility flows into the Umbilo River which feeds into our oceans resulting in high E coli levels along eThekwini’s beaches. As a result, we have seen a number of our beaches close, dealing a major blow to the tourism industry and the prospects of local investment.”
Steenhuisen will also highlight the party’s response to the crisis so far and future planned action.
Meanwhile, during an oversight visit and media briefing at the oThongathi Waterworks Treatment Plant on Wednesday, Kaunda said repairs had already begun and were ongoing at water and sanitation facilities.
Referring to the damage to infrastructure caused by the floods, Kaunda said they were all aware they came from a situation from a dispensation where most of the people were not catered for services in this country.
“Our spatial development plans were not catering for the majority of people. So as a result, there has been a huge backlog to have new capital projects zooming to the areas to put sewer lines, to put water pipes so that on its own needed resources,” Kaunda said.
“As a result, when you apply that strategy to ensure that you also advance services to those who have not been accessing services, it then affected the maintenance and proper maintenance of the infrastructure.
“We accept that as a shortcoming that, while we advance and put through infrastructure, we are supposed to cater for maintenance so that our infrastructure is maintained. But now that we’ve identified those weaknesses, the plan has been put in place to rectify that, but we know it is going to cost us a lot, billions of rand. Billions of rand to put our infrastructure back to the state where it’s supposed to be,” Kaunda said.
He added that for balance, the municipality, during the budget public hearings, negotiated with the residents that they also wanted to impose an infrastructure levy. That infrastructure levy is intended to ensure that the municipality guarantees the maintenance of the infrastructure in the city.
“We started to collect that infrastructure levy in July of this year. So we are hopeful that since it is now in existence, it will complement the allocation of resources that we allocate for the maintenance of our infrastructure, both water and sanitation. There is a major challenge and if we do not stand now, and resolve these challenges, we’ll meet broader challenges moving forward.
“Hence, we are prioritising the maintenance of the infrastructure,” Kaunda said.
He also said there was no way the government was going to close its eyes and forget about people who cannot access water and sanitation. The government had to respond to their plight and that plight has been responded to, but the municipality will continue to maintain the infrastructure.
Daily News
Now watch: