Durban — eThekwini Municipal Accounts Committee chair Thami Xuma has called for the removal of two sewage drainages along a stream in the Westville area.
Xuma made the call on Monday after his oversight to a river following complaints about the broken sewage pipes which leaked raw sewage into the stream.
He said he realised that two drainages were erected at the bank of the stream, and that was the problem because they easily flow to the stream if leaking.
While at the scene, he said he called the Human Settlements and Infrastructure Committee councillor Themba Mvubu to dispatch his team.
“I have spoken to councillor Mvubu to make sure his team looks around for leaking sewer pipes and fixes them. We need to get over this problem now. I also asked to ensure that those pipes and drainage along the rivers and streams should be removed to minimise contamination of water by the raw sewer if there was a leak,” said Xuma.
Mvubu said although he and his team were working hard to fix the problem, the public should remember that most of the infrastructure was built 60 years ago and was not properly maintained, so from time to time, it will cause problems.
He said with regard to the Westville problem, he was happy that by the time the Mpac chair left the area, his team from the engineering department had already arrived.
Mvubu welcomed Xuma’s proposal that those two sewer drainages be removed from the bank of the stream, adding he was awaiting the report from his team about the causes of the leaks.
Soon after his appointment as Mpac chairperson, Xuma, who is an EFF councillor, has been on the ground doing oversight work, especially on the state of the infrastructure around the city. The infrastructure collapse in the city has given the opposition parties ammunition to attack the ANC-led municipality.
After his dismissal as the deputy mayor, ABC leader Philani Mavundla went around filming broken sewer pipes and sewage flowing into rivers and streams. He was later joined by the ActionSA leader Zwakele Mncwango, who is now vocal about the city’s failure to solve sewage issues.
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