Call for police to protect DSW workers

The eThekwini Municipality has appealed to the Metro police and SAPS to increase visibility in uMlazi. Picture: Doctor Ngcobo/African News African News Agency(ANA)

The eThekwini Municipality has appealed to the Metro police and SAPS to increase visibility in uMlazi. Picture: Doctor Ngcobo/African News African News Agency(ANA)

Published Feb 15, 2021

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Durban - The eThekwini Municipality has appealed to the Metro police and SAPS to increase visibility in uMlazi in a bid to protect Durban Solid Waste (DSW) workers from business forums that have become a menace and have halted refuse collection in the area.

Metro police and the SAPS officers have been roped in by the municipality to ensure police visibility in the township to offer protection to city workers while they carry out their duties.

The city said refuse collections had resumed at the weekend after they had stalled for two weeks after a business forum had threatened the city workers, forcing the municipality to pull out its staff.

The forum was allegedly demanding that the city revert to the previous process of hiring contractors to remove refuse instead of insourcing the service.

The poor state of the township has angered some residents who urged the municipality to find a permanent solution and even threatened to withhold their rates.

Municipal spokesperson Msawakhe Mayisela said they had engaged with members of the SAPS and Metro police to ensure they increase visibility in the township and offer protection for the city workers.

He said they would be taking a hard stance against the rogue elements that have disrupted the service, including pursuing criminal charges.

He said while they supported economic transformation, those seeking business should observe the proper protocols in that pursuit rather than barge into the city’s establishments and demand to meet city leadership.

“We also urge the community which bears the brunt of these issues to help us by isolating all the people that are responsible for this,” he said.

Umlazi residents speaking on condition of anonymity said the current situation was not fair as they were expected to pay their rates in full.

“In my area, H section, I saw the refuse collection truck starting to work on Saturday. We were never told that the services are resuming, they should have at least announced publicly so we could be able to take our refuse out.

He said the current situation was posing an imminent health crisis for the township: “There are people who dispose of their (household) medical waste like insulin needles, sanitary towels and baby diapers in these rubbish bags.

“When the rubbish is not collected, the dogs and goats tear open these plastic bags and all this rubbish spills into the street,” he said.

The resident said it was not fair (that) they continued to be charged even when the service was not being delivered.

“The city bill does not change, it does not reflect a decrease for all the times that the city has not been able to collect refuse or cut the vegetation in our areas, this is daylight robbery,” he said.

Another resident said: “As rate-paying citizens of Umlazi, we are literally sick and tired of people playing games with our lives.

“Every now and again, we have the problem of non-collection of refuse and no one wants to own up on this matter.”

He warned that residents could have to take matters into their own hands, go on rampage and damage infrastructure before the eThekwini senior officials take action.

“Why must we be held hostage by some unnamed forum at the expense of the health of more than half-a-million residents? And why do these forums only affect black residential areas?

“If it requires the metro workers to be protected, where are the police in this matter? If it is easy to harass people who are not wearing masks, it means we have sufficient police force to protect metro workers while doing their work,” said the resident.

He warned that if the situation continued they would campaign for non-payment of rates.

“Maybe that will get the municipality to take our health and lives more seriously,” he said.

The Mercury

Related Topics:

City of Ethekwini