Durban – In July this year, eThekwini Municipality unveiled 49 additional waste collection vehicles in the hopes of accelerating and improving waste collection.
At the time, mayor Mxolisi Kaunda said that in 2019 the municipality took a decision to invest more than R500 million over three years to implement its waste management strategy.
He said the strategy encompassed the procurement of a new fleet, identification of new landfill sites and insourcing of solid-waste employees, particularly in uMlazi.
Two months later, Durban residents still have to contend with piles of trash lining their streets
Last week, IOL reported on some areas in Durban where dirt had not been collected for four weeks.
In an executive committee meeting this week, the City’s leadership said an “ageing fleet, staff shortages which lead to increased overtime and littering were three matters blamed for the filth in Durban”.
Kaunda said to address the challenge of staff shortages, the municipality took a decision in the current financial period to cut overtime by 50% and use that funding to fill all vacant posts. The recruitment process is under way.
“On the issue of ageing fleet, the municipality has invested over R400m since 2019 to procure a new Durban Solid Waste fleet. Most of the fleet has been delivered and is operating in various communities.
“Apart from these interventions, the City will embark on mass clean-up and educational campaigns to rid the city of illegal dumping sites, from the CBD to residential areas,” he said.
Kaunda said communities and business were encouraged to clean their immediate surroundings.
“The City also encourages provincial government, national government and state entities to play their part in cleaning their property, such as railway lines,” the mayor added.
On Wednesday, hundreds of disgruntled Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) and Durban Solid Waste (DSW) employees marched through Durban’s Berea.
Durban metro police’s Superintendent Boysie Zungu said workers marched to the South African Local Government Association (Salga) offices to make known their grievances.
For several weeks, DSW and the City have been locked in a battle over overtime pay, leaving several suburbs with mounting piles of refuse bags lining the streets.
Zungu said the march was over by midday.
The march came just hours after the municipality announced a temporary disruption of refuse collection and street-sweeping services affecting uMlazi, Mayville, Berea South, Bellair, the South Coast, Chatsworth South, Chatsworth North and the Bluff. The Mount Edgecombe and Wyebank garden sites have been temporarily closed as both have reached capacity.
Community activist Yugen Moodley said it was the ratepayers who were suffering.
"It can’t be us, as ratepayers who contribute towards the salaries of municipal officials and especially DSW employees, who are held ransom to their demands while our community is waist-high in uncollected refuse bags. It is blatantly obvious that the management has failed to discipline its employees a long time ago and therefore these employees are taking advantage of the situation,“ he said.
Moodley said to find a solution, the present DSW management must be immediately removed and a capable management with proper skills including human resources and labour law experience be employed by following the correct HR recruitment process, not cadre deployment.
“SAPS and Crime Intelligence must also be brought in to counteract any form of intimidation and any form of violent behaviour from these employees. Those employees that are prepared to work normal shifts with the occasional overtime that might be needed, should be kept. Those employees that think overtime is a right, should be immediately removed through the correct disciplinary procedures,” he added.
DA councillor Yogiswarie Govender said residents were yet again at the mercy of alleged strong-arm tactics of certain municipal employees who were unhappy with the new restrictions to curb overtime.
“The city and its residents are being held to ransom in its bid to clean up the excessive overtime. If the political leadership does not address this and the unfilled vacancies urgently, eThekwini Municipality is surely heading for a doomsday scenario on all service delivery fronts,” she said.
Action SA's Alan Beesley has called on the municipality to urgently address the internal labour issues.
“If service delivery levels drop any further due to the ongoing overtime issues, there are risks to the municipality that will have long-lasting effects. This includes rate boycotts, residents and business leaving the municipality and further unrest and the potential for illegal dumping across eThekwini,” he said.
Beesley called on the resolution of these labour issues and the resumption of waste collection.
“With eThekwini still reeling in from the multiple setbacks over the past two years, the Durban metro can ill-afford any more interruptions to services,” he said.
The Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry NPC said it is deeply concerned about the poor level of cleanliness in the city.
"Dirty streets and overflowing dustbins not only have the potential to deter investors and visitors away from Durban, but it also affects existing business operating in those areas. Furthermore, if rubbish is not removed by the city on time our stormwater drainage systems run the risk of being blocked, this is a major concern, especially because September and October mark the start of a rainy season. It is well understood that crime and grime go hand in hand, and while the city might grow complacent in the acceptance of dirty streets, visitors, business, and the residents of our city will not," the Chamber said.
It added that a dirty city will ultimately affect tourism numbers and damage to investor profile.
"As organised business, we strongly believe that service delivery and enforcement of by-laws and regulations is non-negotiable, and it is important that all parts of the city are maintained at a high level of cleanliness and neatness.
"As organised business we call on the city to prioritise this issue. Whilst we acknowledge the Spring Clean-Up Campaign, cleaning the streets should not be a special occasion but must be part of everyday life. eThekwini Municipality has the legal framework to fight crime and grime but there appears to be a lack of commitment to enforcement of the same. We believe that open dialogue between business and government and civil society is key to formulating sustainable solutions which will ensure the city’s streets are well maintained," the Chamber said.
IOL