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The #FreeZuma protests have had far-reaching consequences across the province, with the average person holding their breath as they wait to see what will happen next. As a result, Newcastillians all over KwaZulu-Natal have stepped up, joining forces to oppose the tyranny trust upon our neighbourhoods and local businesses.
As a result, many people are now looking to their respective Municipalities on what can be expected from local government and which departments are running.
In a statement, eThekwini Municipality (Durban) noted a disruption in the city’s services. “eThekwini Municipality would like to advise the public that delivery of services remains disrupted due to the protest action currently taking place. The protests have affected several areas in the city and several pieces of infrastructure.”
These are the affected services in eThekweni:
Water supply in Ntuzuma, Bothas hill, Inanda and Umlazi could be affected as it is not possible to attend to faults in these areas currently. In addition, the Municipality is also not able to read water meters.
The City’s Sizakala customer service centres, including contact centres, cannot function as expected and are closed until further notice.
Customers who have reported water, sanitation and other service delivery faults are requested to be patient, as there might be delays in having such faults attended to. Queries will be addressed when the safety and security situation stabilises.
Waste collection and street sweeping services have been suspended until further notice. Homeowners and businesses are requested to keep waste inside the premises, including all green Municipal wheelie bins.
The following Parks, Recreation and Culture (PRC) facilities are closed:
- All Municipal PRC depots,
- Nature reserves and nurseries,
- Botanic and Japanese Gardens,
- Zoos,
- Mitchell Park and Bird Park,
- Swimming pools, libraries, cemeteries, and crematoria.
- Beaches are still open, and lifeguards are monitoring sites.
The Municipality stresses that the city is working with the police, continuing to safeguard key infrastructure to minimise the impact on service delivery. While apologising for the inconvenience caused, the eThekwini Municipality noted the municipal bus service would remain suspended on Tuesday, 13 July 2021, due to the current unrest.
The Municipality’s communications unit concluded, “The municipality is continuously assessing the situation and will advise when normal services will resume.”
In addition, the Newcastle Municipality has also taken steps amidst the chaos. According to the government entity, the Municipal offices will remain closed from Tuesday, 13 July 2021, until further notice.
However, it was noted that emergency services and essential services would continue working. The rates hall will also remain closed until further notice. Furthermore, residents are urged to keep their refuse bags on their premises until further notice.
Adding to this, Acting Municipal Manager Vish Govender adds that the refuse trucks were pulled back for safety reasons. However, he assures service delivery will remain a focal point of the Municipality, and staff will do their best to ensure no interruptions.
Residents are urged to utilise the Municipality emergency lines for urgent matters, and those wishing to make payments are encouraged to use EFT or Easy Pay methods.
Discussing emergencies and safety, Govender highlights, “We are working closely with the South African Police Service and have beefed up security at key points around Newcastle.” However, he could not divulge the critical points to ensure operations were not hampered. However, he does affirm that traffic officials are also closely monitoring the situation in town.
As the two Municipalities focus on the situation at hand, what are your thoughts?
Share your views in the comment section below.
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