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On Friday 31 March 2023, eThekwini Metro Municipality finally filed its answering affidavit in ActionSA’s application to end the sewerage crisis in the metro. 

We note with deep concern, however, that their affidavit is absent an action plan on how the Municipality will commence with repairs on the damaged and dilapidated infrastructure, as promised during our mediation meeting on 29 March 2023. This further demonstrates their lack of interest in dealing decisively with this crisis. 

Furthermore, the affidavit went on to claim that ActionSA agreed that the action plan would be furnished in a month. This simply isn’t true.

We had merely asked that they indicate how long it would take to draft such an action plan. Interestingly the stance of the Metro has always been that it has a plan, but no finances to implement the plan. Now, the argument is that they have the finances, but no plan!

Furthermore, the Metro – under oath - claims that the Municipality is not facing a sewerage crisis and that all the water systems are fully operational. This is in complete conflict with the fact that they are promising a “plan of action”, and flies in the face of evidence that ActionSA has collected, which clearly demonstrates the dire state the Municipality is in. The Metro elects to simply ignore the clear evidence to the contrary.

In addition, after months of delays and extensions from our side and from the Court, it is staggering that the eThekwini Municipality is no closer to providing its residents with an action plan to arrest the precipitous collapse of the city’s sewage network.

One can safely conclude that there is a lack of appreciation for the severity of the situation within eThekwini Metro administration.

Unfortunately, this displays the kind of leaders and government South Africans are subjected to at all 3 tiers of government. 

We can no longer allow for the situation to continue as such and will be asking the Court for a special allocation to avoid any further and undue delays.

ActionSA will work around the clock to ensure that nonperforming leaders are made to account and that eThekwini is restored to its former glory. 

Issued by Zwakele Mncwango