By Motshwari Mofokeng / One New Network
eThekwini Municipality Mayor Cyril Xaba has stepped up efforts to tackle persistent sewer blockages and overflows, promising faster action as residents continue to face the unpleasant effects of failing sanitation infrastructure.
On Monday, 24 August, Xaba visited KwaMashu, where he met residents and councillors from Wards 40 and 46 to see the challenges first-hand.
Sanitation teams cleared several blocked sewer lines during the visit, but the City said growing demand, ageing infrastructure, limited capacity and the dumping of foreign objects into the sewer system continue to place enormous pressure on the network.
Xaba said residents should not be forced to live with sewage spillages.
“We don’t want residents to live like this. It is not good, and we need to act urgently,” he said.
Following discussions with the Water and Sanitation Directorate, urgent measures include regular maintenance, quicker responses to reported blockages and stronger community education.
Xaba said his weekly outreach programme would now expand to other communities battling persistent sewer overflows, with the aim of removing bottlenecks and improving service delivery across eThekwini.
Email: motshwari@onenews.co.za
