Water outages, sewer spillage as Ilembe hibernates

By Musa Mnyandu

scamming people. The suspects, who were arrested on Friday last week at KwaDukuza CBD, have made a brief court appearance.

Three more suspects were arrested for armed robbery, and officers recovered a gas gun while effecting the arrest. Myeni added that two more suspects have been allocated accommodation behind bars, in connection with house robbery.

Once again, the ever-limping Ilembe District Municipality has been found gravely wanting. Last week residents of Ward 16 and neighbouring areas in KwaDukuza had to endure a prolonged water outage, something that has become a norm in the District, as the municipality demonstrates over and over again its astounding inability to delivery on its mandate.

A resident of Petunia Street stated that the District Municipality failed to restore water supply to the area for five days, which simply underscores the staggering extent of lethargy within the District Municipality. Another resident accused the municipality of showing neither concern nor respect for residents, as residents incessantly struggle to get plausible answers from the municipality.

“We are seeking a long term solution to this annoying water crisis that we so often find ourselves in. It seems that non-service delivery is becoming the (order) of the day. Every lie told to the rate paying residents should come to an end,” one resident fumed on social media.

Another resident noted with dismay that the ailing municipality always seems to get its house in order whenever high profile government leaders are due to visit town, with services running smoothly.

“Once the dignitaries leave our town, service delivery leaves with them. A challenge must be put out to President (Cyril Ramaphosa) to visit our town during all the crises that we experience on a (regular basis),” the resident pointed out.

The now familiar fumbles by the District Municipality did not end there. At the corner of

Mahatma Gandhi and Lindley streets, right in the CBD, patrons, workers and businesspeople had to put up with a sickening sight of sewer spillage that flew unhindered for days, without any action being taken by the municipality. This happened about a mere kilometre from Ilembe House, the headquarters of the District Municipality. As always, the District Municipality did not bother to give a comment about these service delivery failures, with officials seemingly taking refuge in the knowledge that management is unlikely to take any action, as the disease of inertia clearly runs deep within the institution.