Service delivery by the Ethekwini Municipality in areas such as Ottawa, Verulam and surrounding areas, north of Durban, has reached rock bottom.
The disruptions to water and electricity supplies
have become a regular feature along with the filth, rubbish, and litter that
have destroyed the environment on the main road and the residential areas.
Some of the local residents once again expressed
their disgust when they gathered at the Globe’s car park in the village early
this morning (Oct 11) to plan the road ahead in dealing with the regular
disruptions in water and electricity supplies in the area.
Today (Oct 11) water supply was disrupted for most of
the day with the municipality offering lame excuses for the latest development.
The municipality has stated in a note
that the problems are due to electricity power loss caused by load shedding and
technical issues at the Hazlemere Water Treatment works as well as the Ethekwini
Waterloo system.
The disruption of water and electricity supplies has
become a regular feature in these areas for some time and had escalated after
MTel dug up trenches for fibre installations more than a month ago.
Their work had led to regular damages to water pipes
and electricity wires.
The local residents report these disruptions but it
seems the municipality is showing no concern whatsoever. The residents had
complained about the lack of job efficiency by MTel and the private companies
that had carried out the digging of trenches for the fibre installations.
Supervision was literally non-existent and the
shambles are still prevalent today.
The residents under the aegis of the Ottawa Environmental
Forum submitted a memorandum to all role
players and even held a meeting with MTel at the Ottawa Civic Hall more a fortnight
ago.
MTel officials gave a guarantee that no more digging
would take place in Ottawa and that only the fibre installations would take
place with all precautions observed.
But the municipality and MTel have taken no measures
to restore the cleanliness of the areas and also to observe strict safety measures.
(Photo Reaction Unit)
Sadly, this lack of supervision and safety measures led to a 25-year-old electrician being electrocuted last week on Friday (Oct 8). The private security company, Reaction Unit, responded to the emergency calls but was unsuccessful in saving the life of the electrician.
This tragedy was caused primarily by the lack of response
by the municipality to the concerns expressed by the local residents about
safety measures for the workers.
Residents now say they have had enough of the regular
interruptions to their water and electricity supplies. They want the municipality
to jack up its service delivery.
Whether this municipality is interested in overcoming
the poor service delivery to these communities is another matter altogether?
Communities who pay the exorbitant rates and
electricity and water charges cannot be treated in such distasteful ways. Those
in charge and their officials must be called to account for their poor
performances. Ends – subrygovender@gmail.com
Oct 11 2021
Thank you for representing us in this matter. You have outlined all the issues that can exacerbate the depth of dealing with a virus that requires washing of hands. Also, 2 years ago I emailed the Dept of Water and Sanitation regarding the gnats(some kind of parasitic flying insect) that bites and makes outdoor living impossible. I was informed that it is due to the sewerage plant that does not carry out clean up and chemical control. The stench is also unbearable. I would like this to be added to the list that has led to our dissatisfaction. Failure to attend to our issues might mean that we the residents will not pay our bills as we normally do.
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