Durban — Isipingo Beach resident Yaseen Khan said that since the Urban Improvement Precinct (UIP) Prospection Clean Up project, the number of heavy duty trucks have increased in the suburb in the past four months.
Khan said a logistics company opened two weeks ago and was stationed directly opposite the main entrance to Isipingo Beach on Avenue East, Prospecton.
“Since their arrival, it has been chaos between the Durban metro police, residents and the logistics company. This was a flood-damaged area and until now no government officials have assisted nor have the flood victims been housed,” he said.
Khan said that there were problems with the electricity supply to the area and recurring outages exacerbated by the rain.
Another issue was the sewage/ servitude has not been flushed or cleaned, and is filled to the brim. Residents raised other issues ranging from blocked sewage drains overflowing in the streets and into private properties of Isipingo’s Crab city residential area, causing sewage to overflow. About 36 house servitudes are backed up.
The residents have said that the trucks have taken over the municipal verges and the community’s main water supply lies directly beneath these verges, where the trucks are parked, which causes continuous burst pipes in the Outer Circuit Road vicinity.
Also, the quality of the roads was worsening. Residents fear that their area might follow a similar pattern to what transpired in Clairwood.
Residents said that the municipal verges were unkempt, overgrown and hinder sea views throughout the area. The water hyacinth has also overtaken the canals at the entrance to Isipingo Beach under the bridge entrance. This does not allow for smooth flow of water during rainy periods.
Residents believe that eThekwini Metro uses all of their resources and preferences are given to the industrial park, while residents are left to pick up the crumbs.
About 75% of the community’s street lights were dysfunctional and have been for over nearly two years. The number continues to increase. They also mention the workmanship of sub-contractors and forum workers that are crippling Isipingo Beach and the municipality at large.
eThekwini Municipality spokesperson Msawakhe Mayisela said that the City always attends to concerns reported by the public including those of sewage that sometimes ends up on people’s properties.
“This is worsened by members of the public not assisting the City by desisting from disposing foreign objects into the sewerage system. We have got certain areas where immediately after unblocking manholes that have clogged, we go back to square one,” Mayisela lamented.
He conceded that the issue of freight trucks in certain residential areas was a problem. Mayisela said Durban metro police are working tirelessly to clamp down on this illicit behaviour.
“We are appealing to members of the public to inform the City, if this is happening. The City is pulling out all the stops to ensure that its beaches are clean by attending to infrastructure that may be responsible for them to be unclean. The Isipingo Beach as a result is no exception,” said Mayisela.
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