Gross mismanagement of Durban Solid Waste negatively impacts service delivery
by Heinz de Boer – DA EThekwini Executive Councillor
Durban Solid Waste (DSW) has failed to clear the filth currently chocking the city, DSW has again admitted to mismanaging an essential R42 million waste cleaning contract, thus undermining and robbing the people of essential service delivery.
In documents submitted at yesterday’s Executive Committee meeting, DSW has asked to invoke the controversial section 116(3) of the MFMA to provide refuse removal services to 64000 households they simply forgot to service.
The Inanda homes were originally serviced by 12 community cooperatives. Due to what appears to be bad planning, DSW failed to include the homes in the new contracts, prompting the city to now extend another contract to include parts of Inanda.
This latest development comes just a week after the DA wrote to the MEC for Cooperate Governance and Traditional Affairs Nomusa Dube Ncube, asking for intervention in eThekwini. It also comes in the wake of the ANC authorizing additional salary increases for senior managers, some of whom have not met performance targets.
It is glaringly clear that the ANC is more interested in keeping those responsible for continual service delivery bungles in office, rather than take a tough line on consequence management. It can’t be right that poor planning will not only result in R42 million additional expenditure but that thousands of Inanda residents are simply forgotten.
The revelations also come after the DA highlighted the atrocious waste collection and cleaning in several other Durban areas. Informal settlements are generally hugely neglected, while Cato Crest has mountains of uncollected refuse left in the streets. Other CBD areas remain perpetually filthy. The Isiphingo, Tongaat and Verulam also stand out as highly neglected areas. Only the DA can build One South Africa For All, where every citizen has access to fast and effective service delivery under a government that stops corruption and works for its people.