Durban -The eThekwini Municipality, which came under harsh criticism from members of provincial legislature (MPLs) yesterday, has been given until Friday to finalise the appointment of service providers that will attend to the water and sanitation problems in the city following the April floods.
Yesterday, the city’s handling of sewage leaks and tap water supply issues after the floods led to the extensive damage of infrastructure, came under scrutiny by MPLs. In a meeting, MPLs who are part of the Conservation Portfolio Committee questioned the sense of urgency from the city in solving the problems, warning of the threat of waterborne diseases.
The committee conducted site visits to some pump stations and water treatment plants around the city to determine the damage caused by the April floods.
Following the site visits, the committee held a meeting which was attended by Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs MEC, Siboniso Duma, and senior officials from eThekwini Municipality.
The MEC admitted the sewage problems presented a massive challenge for the government, especially the efforts of attempting to woo investors to the city.
He cited the instance of the United Rugby Championship (URC) rugby team that could not play the Sharks in Durban recently after players fell ill with a stomach bug and the questions that arose over the quality of drinking water in the city and the water quality at beaches.
While URC later said it appeared the team had brought the sickness with them, Duma indicated that the negative publicity from the episode had placed both eThekwini and KwaZulu-Natal on the back foot internationally, with major companies raising questions about water quality in KZN’s economic hub.
“We are as worried as you are, to be honest about this situation. Tomorrow (Wednesday) I face questions on eNCA about the E. coli levels in eThekwini,” Duma said.
He undertook to co-ordinate a high-level oversight committee consisting of eThekwini mayor Mxolisi Kaunda, Water and Sanitation Minister Senzo Mchunu and himself, which would hold regular meetings and assess if the city is following through with its commitment to improving water and sanitation.
The municipality’s Water and Sanitation head, Ednick Msweli, said the city’s infrastructure woes were an end result of chronic underfunding going back years.
“We were in trouble before the floods in April when it comes to our infrastructure because of financial constraints,” he told committee members.
During the meeting, committee chairperson Sithembiso Mshengu questioned the commitment of staff members, saying there was no sense of urgency to fix the problem.
“We are in a state of paralysis and need to get somebody fired on the spot,” said Mshengu, expressing shock over what he, along with other committee members, had seen during a site visit.
It also emerged that some of the contracts had not been approved by the municipality’s Bid Adjudication Committee, which stalled the city’s rehabilitation efforts after the floods.
Committee members slammed the municipality, saying following the declaration of a state of disaster the city was expected to handle matters, especially the approval of contracts, more speedily.
DA committee member Heinz de Boer said the city and provincial government should put a moratorium on the discharging of waste by industries, warning that failure to do so could have greater implications for many.
“There will be an outbreak of cholera and the Department of Health will not be able to deal with it. The public has had enough,” De Boer said.
The city came under fire over a lack of maintenance of the pump stations and water treatment plants, with members citing overgrown vegetation in some sites as an indication of the neglect of crucial infrastructure.
Speaking to The Mercury after the meeting, Mshengu said they were encouraged by the position taken by Duma to establish a high-level political oversight committee, but said they would want to check whether the city was implementing recommendations.
Janet Simpkins, from non-profit conservation organisation Adopt-A-River, said while they accepted the negative impact of the floods, the city should shoulder the blame for failing to invest in the maintenance of infrastructure.
She welcomed the oversight visit.
“I think increased pressure but more importantly, assistance from higher levels of government is what is needed. With the extent of the issues faced, municipalities cannot do this alone. The time for blaming and issuing directives is over. They have not been effective. The drive for solutions, and urgent and speedy resolutions to the water and sewage crisis, is what is needed,” she said.