RESIDENTS, property owners and ratepayers in Dawncliffe, Westville, have called on eThekwini Municipality to explain the ongoing delays surrounding a sewer infrastructure project that was originally scheduled for completion in 2015.

The residents recently submitted a petition concerning the Westville Edgbaston Sewer Reticulation Project, known in municipal records as Project Y6473.

According to residents, the project began in 2010, with the municipality initially planning for its completion by 2015. However, residents in affected parts of Dawncliffe said they are still waiting to be connected to the municipal water-borne sewer network.

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In their petition, residents said they were not seeking preferential treatment, but simply wanted the municipality to complete infrastructure that had been planned and budgeted for.

According to a municipal response dated June 7, 2022, the project experienced several setbacks, including the termination of contracts because of poor performance by service providers.

“During Phase 1, construction started in 2010, but the contract was terminated, resulting in further delays linked to procurement processes and incomplete work. Phase 2 was advertised twice in 2014 after what the municipality described as poor tender submissions,” said a resident, Dr Kris Moodley.

“Construction eventually began in 2015, but that contract was terminated in 2017 because of poor performance by the service provider,” explained Moodley.

The residents told the Highway Mail that Phase 3 began in September 2018 and was reported as completed in May 2020.

“This phase also included the rectification of defects linked to earlier work carried out during Phase 1,” said Moodley.

The focus of the residents’ current concerns is Phase 4, which the municipality had described as the final phase of the project.

In its June 2022 response, the residents were informed that the municipality reported that R10.2m was required to complete the phase, with funding reportedly allocated through the 2022/23 Capital Budget Reprioritisation.

According to Moodley, at the time, the municipality said the bid evaluation process was in its final stages and that a contract was expected to be awarded in July 2022. Construction was then expected to begin in August 2022, with practical completion targeted for June 2023.

“Municipal tender records show that the contract was subsequently awarded and had a contract value of R7.45m.

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“They said their examination of municipal financial and planning records found that the project continued to appear in municipal documentation after the June 2023 completion date, including an allocation reflected in the municipality’s 2025/26 Mid-Year Adjustment Budget,” said Moodley.

Speaking on behalf of the residents, Moodley said some residents said they continue to rely on soak pits and septic tanks because they have not been connected to the municipal water-borne sewer system.

“As residents we are required to continue maintaining these private sanitation systems despite municipal sewer infrastructure having been installed in neighbouring and surrounding streets,” added Moodley.

Municipality says project is complete

Following the hand-over of the petition to the City by the DA PR councillor, Debbie Baker, eThekwini Municipality has responded to the residents’ concerns, saying the Westville Edgbaston Sewer Reticulation Project itself has been completed.

However, the municipality said the reticulation network has not yet been commissioned because flooding damaged the downstream Westville Outfall Sewer.

According to the City’s marketing and communications spokesperson, Senzelwe Mzila, the flooding resulted in the downstream sewer being washed away, preventing the newly completed reticulation network from being connected and commissioned.

“The damaged infrastructure is currently being reinstated through the municipality’s Storm Damage Rehabilitation Programme,” said Mzila.

He said restoring the downstream sewer is necessary before the completed reticulation network can be brought into operation.

The City also acknowledged the frustration experienced by residents as a result of the delays and said it remained committed to progressing the rehabilitation work.

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