Court matter over eThekwini sewerage crisis adjourned

Court matter over eThekwini sewerage crisis adjourned

The court matter against eThekwini Municipality over the sewerage crisis has been adjourned in the Durban High Court. 

Action SA court
Steve Bhengu

It’s been brought by Action SA, which has been joined by Abantu Botho Coalition in the action.

 

They are accusing the City and government officials of neglect over the state of Durban's sewerage infrastructure.

 

Prceedings got off to a stalled start as several respondents have failed to file answering affidavits.

 

They include eThekwini Municipality, KwaZulu-Natal’s Cooperative Governance MEC, Tourism Minister Lindiwe Sisulu and Cooperative Governance Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.

 

Representing the ministers, Advocate Andrea Gabriel told the court they don't believe going the legal route is necessary and suggested mediation.

 

She argued that since the matter was not brought forward as urgent, a more pragmatic solution could easily be reached.

 

But Julian Benson for Action SA and Abantu Botho Congress said it was a matter of importance.

 

She told the court that the City and government officials had had enough time to respond.

 

Benson also submitted that mediation would not be suitable as is it not binding.

 

The court ordered the respondents to file their affidavits within 31 days. The matter will resume on 3 April.

 

Beaches in Durban were no-go areas for several weeks last year leading up to the festive season due to poor water quality.

 

Sewerage flowing into the sea resulted in high E.coli levels.

 READ: Death toll from recent KZN floods rises to nine

eThekwini Municipality has blamed last year’s floods for the situation, insisting the damage caused to water and sanitation infrastructure was the reason for the spills.

 

But Philani Mavundla, the leader of the Abantu Batho Coalition who was ousted as deputy mayor in December, last week said he’d come across a damning 2015 report while in office, detailing the state of water infrastructure in the city.
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