DA considering legal action as eThekwini municipality continues to destroy Durban harbour

15 November 2021

Despite both national and provincial contravention directives being issued, eThekwini Municipality continues to pollute and destroy the Durban harbour with sewer overflows.

Video evidence provided by concerned harbour users and residents has shown a river of raw sewage flowing into water near the Yacht Marina.

The harbour sewerage saga is not new or unexpected. The eThekwini municipality hamstrung itself when it originally de-commissioned a perfectly functional pump station to make way for a proposed hotel on the Point Waterfront.

The hotel never materialised and the city now suffers with an underground facility which is prone to malfunction and needs frequent maintenance.

A recent oversight inspection by a Democratic Alliance team of councillors, Members of Parliament and the provincial Legislature last week revealed the following faults;

- Sulphur fumes attacking fittings and electrical components due to the underground nature of the facility;
- The pumps are not sewage pumps. Instead, they are water pumps which are prone to blockage and breakdown when encountering rags and other debris and;
- The current pumps are also non-submersible and therefore highly susceptible to damage when the pump station floods.

The destruction of the harbour and subsequent environmental damage is not an unforeseen circumstance and the DA believes the eThekwini City Manager may have a criminal or civil case to answer for.

The DA is now fully engaged in obtaining legal opinion in this regard and could well do what the ANC-led provincial government has failed to do to date ¬ which is to protect the constitutional right of all citizens to live in an environment free of constant pollution.

We will continue to monitor this unacceptable situation and report back to the public on any further action taken.

Issued by Heinz de Boer, DA KZN Spokesperson on EDTEA, 15 November 2021