DURBAN - THE DA is contemplating legal action against the eThekwini Municipality over the sewage flows into the Durban Harbour.
DA MPL Heinz de Boer said in a statement today that they had received video evidence of sewage still leaking into the harbour.
But the eThekwini Municipality said the issue had been addressed.
De Boer said: “Video evidence provided by concerned harbour users and residents has shown a river of raw sewage flowing into water near the Yacht Marina.”
He said an oversight inspection by a DA team of councillors, Members of Parliament and the provincial Legislature last week found numerous faults, including that the pumps are not proper sewage pumps.
Instead, they are water pumps that are prone to blockage and breakdown due to foreign objects in the sewage system.
“The current pumps are also non-submersible, and therefore, highly susceptible to damage when the pump station floods,” he said.
“The DA is now fully engaged in obtaining legal opinion in this regard 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,” he said.
Early last week, eThekwini Municipality’s spokesperson Msawakhe Mayisela said the city was aware of the sewage flooding the Durban Harbour via Lavender Creek.
He said, at the time, that this was due to the Mahatma Gandhi Pump Station being flooded due to load shedding and repair work was expected to be completed by last Thursday.
Today, Mayisela said there are currently no sewage overflows into the harbour.
He, however, stated that the dumping of alien objects into their systems is wreaking havoc with their infrastructure.
“As stated on numerous occasions, one of the issues affecting our system is the large amount of alien objects that are entering it such as rugs and plastic etc. and these to a larger extent are posing a serious threat to the day-to-day operation of this infrastructure.
“It should be noted that for our rivers to be free of pollution, we require all stakeholders to work with the city in this regard, and we appreciate residents and community formations that have taken the initiative to protect our environment,” he said.
THE MERCURY