Durban CBD
Xolani Dlamini|Published
Residents, traders and commuters say sewage leaks, overflowing rubbish, broken roads and a shortage of usable public toilets are worsening conditions in parts of Durban’s CBD.
A visit to several Durban CBD locations by the sundaytribune.co.za found potholes, neglected stormwater drains, waste build-up and recurring sewage leaks affecting traffic, public spaces and sanitation.
The potholes on University Avenue in the market area disrupted traffic while the damaged and neglected stormwater drains along Julius Nyerere Avenue, Dr Pixley kaSeme Street and Anton Lembede Street, contributed to flash flooding during heavy rains.
The stench of filth and human waste hangs fills the area near the market bridge, around the open space near the YMCA and under the bridge near Inanda Taxi Rank.
The ongoing raw sewage leaks at the corner of Umngeni Road and New Market Street also add to the growing sanitation crisis.
Broken and ageing pipes along key routes, including Margaret Mncadi Avenue (the Esplanade), have repeatedly burst, allowing wastewater to spill into the stormwater drains.
Historical landmarks like the Victoria Street Market and the areas surrounding the Early Morning Market frequently suffer from littering, illegal dumping, and an overwhelming smell of human waste.
Frequent users of the area complain about discarded pilling waste on the pavement on the corner Dr A B Xuma and Dr Yusuf Dadoo streets with some hawkers living on the streets.
Durban CBD is home to many residents, business owners, and visitors who are deeply concerned about its state.
Shadrack Ngwenya, a business owner in Durban CBD, accused the municipality of always reactive instead of proactive.
"The city has a large maintenance crew. Why are they not maintaining the ageing infrastructure? Why wait for the pumps to break down and then, belatedly, attend to them?" he asked.
Ngwenya claimed the municipality also has a large environmental department with several highly paid environmental officers.
"Are they active in their duties or are they relaxing in their offices? Are they visiting communities and schools and educating the public about environmental issues? What are they doing about the piles of rubbish dumped all over the streets around the CBD?" he questioned.
Ish Prahladh, President of eThekwini Ratepayers and Residents Association, claimed municipal workers leave water, sewer and electricity infrastructure open after repair completion was dangerous.
"It takes days, weeks, sometimes months to fix the infrastructure. Residents have resorted to buying bottled water or installing JoJo tanks in their homes due to water outages in eThekwini," he said.
Prahladh said the municipality's lack of service delivery caused major losses for local businesses.
"Schools are forced to send pupils back home due to the ack of water and power outages. That tells you that education suffers. Communities are suffering from lack of service delivery," he said.
He said many residents in eThekwini suffered from unfair billing systems and overcharging for water and electricity.
"There should be no increases in municipal staff salaries to make up for losses and unnecessary expenditure. Infrastructure faults take too long to repair in many parts of the city. It is quick to get a reference number for any fault, but takes a long time to repair.
Prahladh called for the municipality to make ratepayers associations fall under the city because they were ears and eyes on the ground.
Residents have also raised concerns about the taxi drivers and commuters who urinate in buckets due to shortage of toilets near the taxi rank, on Monty Naicker Street.
Concerned resident Aubrey Govender, said the urine smell was unbearable near this rank.
"I do not know how people use or pass through this rank every day. The smell is terrible and it has been like this for over 6 months. I have decided to use Joe Slovo Street or other alternative routes" he said.
Govender called for the eThekwini Municipality to act fast on the shortage of toilets in Durban CBD.
"The shortage of ablution facilities in the CBD forces people to urinate on the building walls. If you walk around the town, the only smell you get is from urine, garbage and sewer," he said.
The situation was worsened with the anti-illegal immigration protests and clashes.
Protesters torched and stripped more than a dozen vehicles and damaged commercial buildings along Dr Pixley KaSeme Street.
The resulting debris and ash remain on the streets,
A hole on the sidewalk on the corner of Denis Hurley Street and Joe Slovo street, makes residents and customers tread carefully.
Water leaks from the ground near Muslim Cemetery on Dr Pixley kaSeme Street, and on the corner of Dr Pixley kaSeme and Dr Yusuf Dadoo street near Pazi store, add to municipal water loss.
Nkosikhona Dladla, a driver from Chesterville Taxi Rank in Market, said toilets were not serviced in the CBD.
"The smell from these toilets is unbearable. Sometimes you find that the toilets are locked at 4pm without a notice," he said.
Dladla said the poor state of toilets in the CBD forced people to urinate everywhere.
"I no longer use these toilets in taxi ranks due to their unbearable smell. If I want to use a toilet I go to the nearest garage," he added.
Colonel Boysie Zungu, spokesperson for the Durban Metro Police, condemned the public urination and other forms of behaviour that compromise the cleanliness, dignity and safety of public spaces.
He clarified, public urination is prohibited in terms of Section 5(2)(c) of the eThekwini Municipality: Nuisances and Behaviour in Public Places By-law, 2015.
"Offenders may be issued with a R500 admission-of-guilt fine through a Section 56 notice in terms of the Criminal Procedure Act. Durban Metro Police encourages members of the public to comply with municipal by-laws to avoid enforcement action," said Zungu.
When asked how actively officers patroled the CBD to deter this behaviour, Zungu said Metro police conduct regular patrols and by-law enforcement operations throughout the CBD.
"Public urination is among the offences addressed during routine patrols and enforcement operations. Officers also respond to complaints received from members of the public. The information regarding recurring hotspots assists with targeted deployments and operational planning," he said.
Zungu disclosed consolidated statistics specifically relating to public urination offences within the CBD are currently unavailable.
"One of the challenges officers face when trying to enforce the by-laws, is that public urination often occurs in concealed areas, particularly behind buildings, along passageways and in areas with limited visibility. And another challenge is the high volume of pedestrian movement within the CBD," he said.
Zungu admitted the shortage and accessibility of public sanitation facilities, particularly during late-night hours make it difficult for police officers to enforce the law on offenders.
"Despite these challenges, we are committed to enforcing municipal by-laws and addressing public nuisance offences. Durban Metro Police forms part of the eThekwini Municipality and supports an integrated approach to addressing public nuisance and environmental concerns," he said.
However, Zungu encourages the installation of clear and visible directional signage to assist members of the public in locating the nearest available public toilets.
“We believe that improved signage, together with accessible and properly maintained sanitation facilities, can contribute significantly towards reducing incidents of public urination within the CBD."
Zungu said the shortage of public toilets does not automatically exempt individuals from complying with municipal by-laws
He called for members of the public to report incidents of public urination and recurring hotspots through the city's official reporting channels or directly to Metro Police.
"When reporting an incident or complainant, you must provide the exact location, time of occurrence and any other relevant information that may assist officers in responding appropriately. Business owners and residents are also encouraged to report recurring problem areas so that the information can be considered during operational planning and targeted enforcement activities," Zungu said.
He explained metro police have dedicated units responsible for conducting public education and awareness campaigns aimed at promoting compliance with municipal by-laws, responsible behaviour and civic pride.
"The cleanliness of our city is everyone's responsibility. While metro police will continue enforcing municipal by-laws, lasting improvements require cooperation, civic pride and responsible behaviour from all who live, work and visit Durban," Zungu added.
The eThekwini Municipality did not respond in time of publication.