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In our continued effort to force the eThekwini Municipality to bring essential services to its residents, the Provincial Chairperson conducted 3 oversight visits to various locations to highlight the issues faced by our people. 

On the 16 May 2023, ActionSA conducted an oversight visit at the eThekwini TVET college, Springfield Campus, after receiving numerous complaints that the area had become a haven for illegal dumping. 

On a daily basis, toxic fumes were released into the air due to ongoing fires, posing a serious health threat to students, staff members of the college members of the community, and municipal workers whose offices are located across the campus. 

After learning of this issue, we tabled a motion before the eThekwini Municipality Council to act immediately against this illegality and find permanent solutions to this issue. 

We are delighted to share that the Municipality heeded our call and cleared the rubbish that had been releasing toxic fumes and formed mountains of rubbish outside the campus. 

After receiving an influx of messages of appreciation from members of the public who were affected by the illegal dumping, we personally went to the sight and indeed, the campus was cleared of toxic rubbish (please see be fore an after pictures attached above).

We are also pleased that we were able to change the lives of this community for the better. 

During our 2nd oversight visit, we met with Mrs Mzila in ward 82 whose house had been badly damaged by heavy rains in previous years. 

In 2017, a wall behind her house fell and badly damaged the infrastructure, prompting the Municipality to build an RDP house for her, however, disaster struck again in 2019 when heavy rains damaged a neighbouring house, forcing debris onto Mrs Mzila’s RDP house, where a father and his 16-year-old son occupied the house. 

While the father managed to escape, the 16-year-old was unfortunately trapped under the debris and met his demise. 

This forced her to build a shack from corrugated iron sheets. 

According to Mrs Mzila, Municipal officials conducted an oversight visit to her property. Hoping that she will receive the help she needed, she has never seen or heard from the Municipality again. 

We informed Mrs Mzila that we will investigate the matter on her behalf and will make sure that the Municipality is made aware of her living conditions, and that immediate action be taken for the process of rebuilding Mrs Mzila an RDP house.

On our 3rd oversight, we met with Mr Sithole from eNgonyameni, ward 100, where he and thousands of residents taps ran dry in 2019 to date and have been depending on unreliable water tanks for the delivery of clean, drinkable water. 

Residents have been forced to use polluted water from rivers in order to fulfil basic needs. 

According to Mr Sithole, eThekwini Mayor, Mxolisi Kaunda, previously visited the community and promised that a solution is in motion for the issue, however, that was the last time they saw or heard from Mr Kaunda, leaving this community to go without water for 3 years.

Regrettably, water issues are not the only challenge faced by this community. 

Driving through the poor infrastructure of bridges in the ward, there are concrete slabs that have been placed in the stream, for the supposed construction of bridges, but according to Mr Sithole, the slabs have been sitting in the streams for over a year, without an indication of when the construction of bridges will begin. 

Currently, the piece of land that connects one side to the other becomes a danger zone whenever it rains, as community members fear that the land will break apart.

The leadership ANC-led coalition has consistently proven that they are incapable of running a Municipality, and if there are areas and people who are subjected to such conditions, we cannot begin to fathom what has blinded these leaders to a point where they are unable to see the true state of this Municipality. 

Therefore, as ActionSA, we will continue to shine a light on these issues and work towards bringing much-needed change to people’s lives as we have done for the small community of eThekwini TVET in Springfield. 

Issued by ActionSA KZN Provincial Chairperson Zwakele Mncwango