Durban – Service delivery perceptions in Durban worsened in the second quarter of 2023 according to the Business Confidence Index (BCI) released by the Macroeconomics Research Unit at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) on Friday.
The report is the fourth BCI constructed using survey data collected from the private sector managers in eThekwini Municipality.
One example, reported by ‘The Mercury’ last month is the sewage crisis in Sydenham. In Randles Road, where several businesses are based, there are ongoing sewage spills as well as maintenance issues.
Overport is another example, where residents say a continuous sewage problem and illegal dumping at an informal settlement are posing severe health risks to residents and affecting their daily lives.
According to the report among the surveyed businesspersons, 84.6% stated that if they (or anyone else) reported a “poor service delivery” complaint, it is very unlikely that the authorities would attend to it.
This represents a 6.6 percentage point increase in the proportion of surveyed participants that hold this view.
“On the list of the poorest services provided by the government, the environment (sewerage, solid waste and parks) is at the top (30.8%) followed by electricity (23.1%), roads (21.2%) and public safety (police, fire, and ambulance) 21.2%,” said the report.
The report said the recent recorded crime statistics by police revealed that public safety is deteriorating in KwaZulu-Natal. According to the SAPS, in the first quarter of 2023, community-reported serious crimes increased by 17.1% in Durban and 5.1% in KwaZulu-Natal province.
Remona Mckenzie, ward councillor for both Sydenham and Overport, said ratepayers are tired and need to see results and action instead of excuses.
Mckenzie said the standard and quality of service delivery and the time frame that the City takes in addressing issues is depressing and unacceptable.
She said these service delivery issues have resulted in frustrated community members resorting to protesting.
The councillor said sewage, water and electricity issues are the most pressing.
“Businesses are closing and some residents are selling. I am beginning to feel at times my ward is under sabotage. I have to beg for feedback at times. Residents are tired of being told there are no resources or no contracts in place to do the necessary repairs. It is frustrating and it's a huge concern that residents have to beg for basic service delivery,” she said.
Mckenzie called on the City management to be accountable for oversight of facilities and maintenance of infrastructure.
“The mechanism and systems of implementation is still a worrying factor and forms part of the huge issues. There is also a recurrence of certain issues like sewer overflow and burst water pipes in the same area and same place.These issues have been continuously raised by myself and ratepayers from the Ward,” she said.
Overall during the second quarter of 2023, business confidence in Durban declined to 37.28 from 43.27 in the previous quarter.
The report said this is a second consecutive decline of the index following another dip in business confidence in the municipality from 44.04 in the fourth quarter of 2022 to 43.27 in the first quarter of 2023.
“The downward trend of the Durban business confidence index mirrors the overall national business confidence, which has been declining for five consecutive quarters.
“The Durban business confidence index, however, remains higher than the national average, which stands at 27 index points,” said the report.
The report said the decline in the index can be attributed to various factors such as ongoing electricity rationing, public policy uncertainties, the breakdown in diplomatic relations between the US and South Africa, and weak economic performance including lacklustre growth, cost pressures, and continuous interest rate increases.