Durban — The residents of Phoenix and Westville are up in arms about what they call the municipality’s resolve to keep them breathing the stench of sewage that they have lived with since 2019.
The irate residents said that their lives had been put at stake by the air they are “forced” to breathe, resulting in some getting sick from the unpleasant stench emanating from the burst sewerage pipes.
The Phoenix residents of ward 50 described service delivery in their area as non-existent, inconsistent or very slow. They were frustrated that their complaints had fallen on deaf ears.
“We do not have an office or contract with these elected officials,” said local resident Jolene Siraj.
“The sewage overflows in Palmview Drive have become a health hazard to the residents, scholars and workers who use the road daily. The street lights have not been working for years, and many people have been robbed and assaulted at night because there are no lights in the streets.
“Requests for speed-reducing humps on the streets have also been ignored, resulting in pedestrians getting knocked down by the speeding vehicles, and in other accidents.”
Phoenix Civic Movement leader Vivian Pillay, a resident of ward 50, said that the municipality had failed to convene community meetings, listen to the community or give reports on council activities, and the community had to rely on the newspapers for updates.
“The area around the open outdoor gym has also become a health hazard, as the grass has grown into a bush, and the street lights have not been working for years, although it has been reported in Valehaven Gardens.”
Pillay said that his organisation has written to eThekwini leadership, requesting a meeting with all councillors in Phoenix, as they promised at a recent stakeholders meeting at Umhlanga Hotel.
“They have failed to respond. The residents of Phoenix are not getting value for the rates they pay.”
Pillay said the PCM has joined the objection to the tariff increases and IDP (integrated development plan) budget with other ratepayer organisations, citing it as “unaffordable” and calling for further consultation.
Phoenix resident Bala Govender said the children travelling to and from school were affected by the stench that has become a permanent feature in Palmview Drive, adding that some children have even become ill because of the smell in the air.
“We cannot even walk on the road, but are forced to escape stepping on the mess in the road and walk on the grass,” Govender said.
Westville Residents Association chairperson Asad Gaffar said that there has been no improvement in the sewage problems in the area, although they had been living with the stench since 2019.
“The sewage flows down the streets for months, and the municipality has done nothing about it.
“As residents, we are waiting for the municipality to fix this problem, after the meeting we held with a representative on Sunday, who took down our grievances and promised to escalate it to the council,” Gaffar said.
Westville resident Gary Joubert said that the sewage problems in his street had been sorted out, and he thanked the Daily News for having reported on the matter earlier this year, making the municipality aware of the problem.
eThekwini Municipality head of communications Lindiwe Khuzwayo said: “The City is aware of the sewage issues that began following the floods last year.
“We currently have teams working hard to ensure that temporary measures are in place to stop the flow while the City finalises SCM (supply chain management) processes for the hiring of a contractor to take on the work.
“We apologise for the inconvenience, but we assure residents that the City is aware of the damage and repairs will begin once all necessary processes have been followed.”
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