Durban - KwaZulu-Natal’s sewage woes have been in the spotlight since April, when flooding uprooted ailing and ageing infrastructure, leading to numerous sewage leaks around the province.
KZN has been an esteemed holiday destination arguably for two main reasons – its good weather all year round and warm beaches to swim at, enabling the province to be a favoured tourist destination.
But the latter are in grave danger due to a number of factors, primarily due to a lack of maintenance on ageing sewerage infrastructure, according to political and civil organisations.
The issue of sewage flowing into rivers and the sea in Durban and other towns has been spoken about for years, according to the DA’s Heinz de Boer, but the April floods may have been the final wave needed to collapse the province’s ailing infrastructure.
De Boer is a DA MPL and spokesperson for the department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental affairs.
Video footage that has emerged over the weekend has shone a light on two critical points in the City of eThekwini, which reportedly shows sewage leading down the uMngeni River and into the ocean.
The uMngeni River, which once brimmed with life that early Durban settlers survived off for years, is now overflowing with sewage.
“It’s not just Durban, like social media would have you believe, this is happening all over KZN. I’ve been to Ladysmith, Saint Lucia, uMhlanga, Westville, Pinetown and Phoenix. Everyone says the sewage in the river is unbearable.
“Basically, wherever there is a municipality there is a leak. All of this eventually makes its way to the ocean. And we have seen how this is starting to impact our people and tourists,” De Boer said.
A lack of foresight with respect to budgeting for maintenance has been one of the main causes the provincial infrastructure has been unable to withstand the severe blows dealt in April and May, as floods hit the province in two consecutive, De Boer explained.
He said the R1 billion promised by President Cyril Ramaphosa in April during his visit to KZN to assess the flood damages, has not been given to the province.
De Boer added that fixing a sewer leak would not fix the problem, as it stems from bigger issues within the government, like zero accountability and planning for unforeseen circumstances.
It was also earlier reported that criminal charges were laid against the City for its failure to manage the sewage flowing into the harbour.
But Durban mayor Mxolisi Kaunda says he is confident all repairs of damaged sewerage infrastructure will be completed by November.
IOL has contacted the treasury department of the KZN provincial government to confirm if Ramaphosa’s pledge was followed through on.
BREAKING NEWS:ALLEGEDLY
— @BREAKING NEWS (@DknMohammed) October 16, 2022
NOTICE
Durban Residents
'Allegedly RAW SEWAGE has entered UMGENI RIVER in DURBAN'! pic.twitter.com/tTi6olSxvx
In a video circulating social media, a resident films from under the uMngeni Road bridge near the Bird Park. The resident shows the colour of the water, the amount of filth and other sewage floating in it.
“This is sewage, you can see all the dissolved matter, dissolved toilet paper. Some of it is not as dissolved,” the man says.
This is Shocking. This is going to be one of many assignments ActionSA will get our KZN Provincial Chairperson to take to the Courts on behalf of residents of EThekwini and broader South Africa. Durban beaches are an asset to the entire country to enjoy. pic.twitter.com/tE3z3iALFs
— Herman Mashaba (@HermanMashaba) October 16, 2022
In a second video, a resident films at the Blackburn pump station, near uMhlanga, which looks like a derelict building, as the grass around the centre appears to not have been cut for some time.
At the entrance of the facility, raw sewage is flowing out of the ground. The wall at the edge of the premises has also collapsed.
The issue of sewage flowing onto Durban beaches is no new topic, however, and has been much talked about in public spaces.
Just recently, the eThekwini Municipality, together with soccer team Kaizer Chiefs, posted images of a “clean-up day” in Durban. City officials were seen with bin bags picking up litter in the Wilson’s Wharf area.
In August, eThekwini, mayor Kaunda embarked on an oversight visit to sewerage pump stations and wastewater treatment plants.
IOL also spoke to the KZN provincial government’s Lennox Mabaso, who said that weekly meetings are being held to find solutions to the sewage problems.
Besides being an ecological and health disaster, the state of the province’s sewerage system could well be the lynch-pin needed to crumble an already frail economy, as the tourism sector will face the faeces first.
IOL