Ethekwini Residents Pay Twice for Municipality’s Sewerage Crisis
Press Statement by Zwakele Mncwango
ActionSA KZN Provincial Chairperson
ActionSA is outraged by the ongoing sewerage crisis in Durban’s Umgeni River and Blue Lagoon, which has subjected residents to a double punishment—first by forcing them to endure hazardous living conditions, and second by making them pay for the municipality’s incompetence through heavy fines.
The Green Scorpions’ recent compliance notice to eThekwini Municipality confirms what ActionSA has long warned: the City has failed to take reasonable action despite repeated warnings. Instead of resolving the crisis, the municipality now faces a potential R2 million fine—money that will inevitably come from ratepayers who are already suffering due to the City’s negligence.
And in our quest to hold the Municipality accountable for its failure to maintain sewerage infrastructure, we became the first political party to take legal action against the eThekwini.
Despite the municipality’s repeated claims that the situation is under control, raw sewerage continues to flood residential areas, spill into rivers, and pollute the ocean, resulting in beach closures, health risks, and a severe impact on tourism. The reality is that residents are not just suffering from failing infrastructure—they are also being forced to foot the bill for the municipality’s failures.
It is unacceptable that while politicians and municipal officials escape accountability, ordinary citizens are left to deal with both the environmental disaster and the financial burden. The residents of eThekwini are now paying twice—through declining quality of life and financial penalties disguised as municipal fines.
ActionSA demands urgent intervention to fix the city’s collapsing infrastructure and hold those responsible accountable. EThekwini residents deserve real leadership, real solutions, and real accountability—not more empty promises and cover-ups.
Ethekwini Residents Pay Twice for Municipality’s Sewerage Crisis
ActionSA is outraged by the ongoing sewerage crisis in Durban’s Umgeni River and Blue Lagoon, which has subjected residents to a double punishment—first by forcing them to endure hazardous living conditions, and second by making them pay for the municipality’s incompetence through heavy fines.
The Green Scorpions’ recent compliance notice to eThekwini Municipality confirms what ActionSA has long warned: the City has failed to take reasonable action despite repeated warnings. Instead of resolving the crisis, the municipality now faces a potential R2 million fine—money that will inevitably come from ratepayers who are already suffering due to the City’s negligence.
And in our quest to hold the Municipality accountable for its failure to maintain sewerage infrastructure, we became the first political party to take legal action against the eThekwini.
Despite the municipality’s repeated claims that the situation is under control, raw sewerage continues to flood residential areas, spill into rivers, and pollute the ocean, resulting in beach closures, health risks, and a severe impact on tourism. The reality is that residents are not just suffering from failing infrastructure—they are also being forced to foot the bill for the municipality’s failures.
It is unacceptable that while politicians and municipal officials escape accountability, ordinary citizens are left to deal with both the environmental disaster and the financial burden. The residents of eThekwini are now paying twice—through declining quality of life and financial penalties disguised as municipal fines.
ActionSA demands urgent intervention to fix the city’s collapsing infrastructure and hold those responsible accountable. EThekwini residents deserve real leadership, real solutions, and real accountability—not more empty promises and cover-ups.