Hope for stinky Mandeni?

Despite months of complaints, the smell plaguing Mandeni is still thick in the air and the stream through town still occasionally all sorts of weird and wonderful colours.

In September the Courier reported on the state of Mandeni, the smell, the polluted stream, infrastructure woes and overflowing sewage. Since then, say residents, nothing much has changed.

Also read: Mandeni stink infuriates residents

“Our main concern is the stream,” said a resident who did wish to be named.

“Nothing has been done, it is still a grey, disgusting colour and stinks to high heaven.”

He went on to condemn the fact that traffic lights in the town had not been working, saying there had already been a pedestrian hit and killed and laying the blame squarely at the municipality’s feet.

“I think that was a direct result of the incompetence of this disgustingly run, pathetic, useless municipality. I don’t see why people should have to die because of their shortcomings.”

Incomplete municipal buildings are also an eyesore in town and a magnet for vagrants.

Mandeni municipal spokesperson Sizwe Khuzwayo said they were aware of the concerns. Khuzwayo passed the buck for the sewage issues in Mandeni on to the iLembe District Municipality, who had not yet responded to queries.

“In terms of municipal buildings, at the moment the focus is to finish the Council Chamber. The building is complete and now more work needs to be done internally (ceiling, tiling etc.) hence there is not much taking place outside.”
Other changes depend on the 2018/19 budget.

However, Khuzwayo said the municipality was not merely sitting on their hands, but were engaged in several other projects.

“The municipality is currently implementing an internal roads upgrade in Highview Park, the Hlomendlini bus route and Chappies Sports Field.

“The Evutha and Nyathini electrification projects are also nearing completion, providing power to 680 households.”
He said the municipality had recently awarded two electricity projects for household connections in Khanana (140 households) and Ifalethu Mangeza (169 households).

“The municipality has completed a community hall in Isithebe and has recently appointed a contractor to construct a community hall in ward 13.”

He also detailed projects in the new year to install 540 streetlights and complete rural housing projects in Ward 1,2,8 and 9 of Macambini and 1000 urban housing units in ward 10.

A further 1000 units are nearing completion in the Mathonsi Sundumbili housing project.

Good news for those who will benefit from these projects, however residents are still left with a bad taste with every second breath and the stream running through town still looks like it is likely toxic enough to grant mutant superpowers to any foolish enough to brave it.

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