Durban - Mobile toilet company Ms Hygiene has responded to a viral video on social media in which it was alleged that its staff were dumping sewage from a mobile unit into a stormwater drain on the N2 highway, north bound, just before the Edwin Swales turn-off.
This comes as the eThekwini Municipality grapples with a sewage crisis that has affected rivers and beaches.
Speaking to The Mercury on Tuesday, the management of the company confirmed that the trailer seen in the video did belong to the company but it denied any wrongdoing.
According to the company, the incident took place on December 30 while the trailer was in transit from uMnini where it occasionally parks to get prepared for a booking the following day.
“During the drive which was undertaken as per our company’s standard operating procedures, one of the doors was flung open and the yellow pipe fell out, at least a portion of it which forced the driver to stop with the intention of putting it back into the trailer.”
The company said during this time a man approached them with a camera.
“The unidentified man came around with a camera claiming that our personnel were involved in desludging on the stormwater drainage. This door had been repaired recently and to the best of the knowledge of our personnel, it had been fixed.”
According to the company, the staff reported that the man made “outrageous” allegations, and they tried to explain to him that the release catch (to release sewage) was closed.
“It would have not been possible for them to have done what they were being accused of doing because the release catch was closed. For whatever reason, he was not willing to listen to them.”
The management further said that the company had always adhered to strict waste management protocols.
“In the period since our establishment as a company, June 2022, we obtained a permit from the city and have always released our waste at the designated water treatment plant on the Bluff (Southern Wastewater Treatment Works) when booked for business.”
EThekwini Municipality spokesperson Msawakhe Mayisela said the city was aware of the video and the matter was being investigated internally.
“Guided by our by-laws, we will then communicate our next course of action in this regard,” he said.
While this incident was still under investigation, the municipality warned the public to refrain from dumping sewage down the city’s stormwater drainage system.
“This behaviour has a negative impact on both our fresh and sea waters. We are calling upon members of the public to report incidents because if we are not vigilant, this is going to wipe out our tourism sector.
“It also derails our programme of ridding our water resources of raw sewerage, a situation that was compounded by two waves of floods that hit the city at the beginning of last year,” said Mayisela.