Durban — Despite some signs of improvement and eThekwini mayor Mxolisi Kaunda’s reassurances that service delivery is up to standard, the City has received mixed reactions from ratepayers and other ordinary citizens and community members.
This week, Kaunda said that water and sanitation technical teams were working around the clock to ensure all beaches were open during the festive season and beyond. He said that apart from beefing up the technical team there was a collaborative effort between the scientific services, mechanical and wastewater network departments to clearly identify the sources of any identified coastal pollution.
On Thursday, the City would be collaborating with independent laboratories such as Talbot and the Durban University of Technology to conduct water tests on the same spot, date and time and subsequently release them simultaneously.
Kaunda said that for the Heritage Day long weekend, the municipality achieved 62% occupancy at hotels.
This week, Durban hosts the MTN 8 final, and in November will host the 13th World Congress of the World Society for Paediatric Infectious Diseases.
In 2025 the City will host the World Water Conference.
“Contrary to what our detractors may want you to believe, the world still has confidence in us and what the city of Durban is capable of,” Kaunda stated.
He said that while other cities endured four hours of load shedding, eThekwini had a two-hour schedule due to the automation and vastness of the municipal electricity network.
Kaunda said the water supply had been restored to Durban North areas. Residents went eight days without a piped water supply because of alleged tampering with infrastructure.
He said the overall financial position of eThekwini Municipality remained stable and sound. Kaunda said the council had approved a three-month debt relief programme for customers who are in arrears for more than 90 days. Kaunda said the City had created a new mobile app which was a major step forward for the City in embracing digital transformation and to enable customers to easily access their bills and to lodge complaints.
“We are pleased with the support we are getting from all our stakeholders that we have been engaging since August this year. Their commitment to the city gives us hope that we are on the right path to make eThekwini the most caring and liveable city,” Kaunda said.
EThekwini Ratepayers and Residents Association (Erra) president Ish Prahladh said the mayor should have touched on land invasions and the expanding informal settlements in eThekwini.
Prahladh said service delivery had improved but an issue was after-repair service providers who took three to four months to sort out trenches dug across roads to repair water pipes or damaged cables.
“Frustration runs deep with residents because vehicles get damaged. Water and electrical issues seem to be less reported. Informal residents need to get their basic services prioritised because by protesting it now puts the ratepayers in jeopardy,” Prahladh said.
Prahladh said the debt relief should be extended to pensioners and they should be given a set fee so they can survive as well.
Westville Ratepayers’ Association chairperson Asad Gaffar said Kaunda had apologised to the residents of uMhlanga, but did not apologise to residents of oThongathi who were without water for four months.
Gaffar said this smacked of discrimination.
He said Kaunda failed to state that he spent millions of rand on public meetings to convince residents that the City was working.
Part of the expenditure included R625 920 for artists and performers, R781 580 for stage and sound crew, and R3.2 million for catering.
“We cannot expect the mayor to state honestly the total collapse of the City under his leadership. If he did that it would imply that he is honest and has integrity. Also, he is getting paid bonuses for ‘great performance’, right?” Gaffar said.
On Facebook, Nkosazana Zuma said: “We are lucky if we get a full month of running water at Umlazi, yet each household gets billed. Enquire how they got this amount and don’t get a full answer.”
To read Kaunda’s full speech visit the IOL website.
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