Service delivery crisis sways Durban North businessman’s vote
A Durban North resident says he has been taking stock of the issues plaguing the eThekwini municipality including water supply issues.
AGEING municipal infrastructure marked by water losses and sewage overflows are top of businessman Warren de Villiers’s mind as the elections loom.
With just two weeks remaining the Durban North resident has been taking stock of the issues plaguing the eThekwini Metro, including the lack of maintenance and repairs to its infrastructure.
De Villiers said he fears the eThekwini Metropole going the same way as the City of Joburg if there isn’t a strong showing from residents holding those accountable to a certain standard.
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The local resident said his daily commute to work was a reminder of the issues at stake.
“I probably drive through five or six water leaks, a sewage overflow to my office on Beechfield Crescent where the streetlights haven’t worked in the last five years. My biggest bugbear for these elections is service delivery. It is frustrating to see the number of water leaks in the ward I live in, which is on an almost weekly basis. We lose so much of the water we purchase and are forced to pay high rates for those services. It is a crisis when you realise this is being mirrored in other areas,” he said.
The City buys most of its treated water from the uMgeni-uThukela Water Board but loses over 50% of the water it purchases.
“I’ve had an idea of starting an App called ‘Water Worriers’ to catalogue the leaks across the City. It would have the details of when the leak was reported and when it was repaired. What my hope is for in the elections is that we have long-term replacement, not short-term fixes, in terms of replacing burst pipes in sections. I would hope to see in future a large part of the budget going towards pipe replacement,” he said.
De Villiers said when making a decision on which political party to vote for, particularly in terms of ward candidate, he looks at several factors.
“Accessibility is important to me. I’ve been lucky in Ward 36 with councillor Heinz de Boer who keeps residents informed on outages and issues. I also look at their track record when it comes to service delivery. I feel the residents of Durban North definitely hold the City to a certain standard which is something we have to continue to do,” he said.
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