This non-delivery of service from the municipal department is beyond a joke now. We take pride in keeping our area clean daily. The one day we put our refuse out for collection, you don’t care to collect. The refuse stays out the entire day and night and the next day and is still not collected.

Then there is someone rummaging through the rubbish, littering the whole street. The sad thing about this is, because of your incompetence and negligence, the rubbish is no longer neat in the bags but is now lying all over the place.

Your staff will now NOT pick up any litter except for the knotted bags. The feeble excuse by your receptionist at community was, they didn’t have diesel for the trucks. Oh my word, what has our town come to? NO DIESEL FOR SERVICE DELIVERY. Where are our town’s TWO refuse trucks? I saw one of them coming off the N3 southbound then passing Midway RTI.

If you cannot do the necessary, daily chores with the staff you employ by the hundreds, then maybe it is about time to contract this job out to those who value their jobs and not only for a salary at the end of each week but to people who actually truly care for this town.
We are a rotting, stinking town and it seems like no one cares. Are you proud to be part of this mess? Everything is under sewerage, litter, urine and weeds. Everything is in total collapse and ruin. It is a disgrace and an embarrassment to associate ourselves to Uthukela district and Umtshezi.

Our entrance from Eskort Bacon is a shocking experience to all who enters. Coming down into gloomy, dark Estcourt with no street lights working, the lights on that bridge are not working; the road surface is a danger to our lives. Going out among Loskop Road is a sheer nightmare; one literally puts one’s life in danger trying to avoid every pothole. BUT one sure thing to commuters, if you hit a pothole and damage is done to your vehicle or yourself, go and report to SAPS, get a case number, then visit the municipality.

They have to give you a form to fill out so that you can claim insurance from them. Time for change is upon us. We are sick of nothing being done in this town. We, as the people of this town, should take to the streets and start with our demands. It seems to work everywhere else, so why not?
Enough Is Enough

Response from Acting Municipal Manager

The municipality did experience a crisis where both the refuse collection trucks broke down at the same time. Alternate arrangements to collect waste, utilising municipal vans were made. We do acknowledge that waste collection was slightly compromised during this period, but I reassure the author that the waste collection team worked day and night ensuring that the waste generated in Umtshezi was transported as swiftly as possible to the dump site.

In their endeavour, we do acknowledge that some areas may not have been optimally serviced. We reassure the author that the mechanical breakdown experienced with the refuse collection trucks were definitely not due to any negligence or incompetence, but rather due to mechanical failure and metal fatigue.

We are unaware of any diesel shortage that may have compromised service delivery, and our receptionists are not mandated to discuss such issues. Commenting any further on this point would be futile.

The Alice Bridge and Loskop Road are not Umtshezi assets and maintenance of them is a function of the Transport Department. We will definitely engage the department concerned to ensure that the author’s grievances reach the correct person. The entrance to Estcourt is a ‘work in progress’ and will be a beautiful and pleasant gateway to anyone entering Estcourt, once completed.

Umtshezi is a beautiful vibrant town that many of us call home. The author’s negative view of our home town is definitely counterproductive. As the municipality, we are open to criticism, if it is voiced with the intention of being constructive.

Using the media to spread negativity and incite people makes one sit up and take note of the possible ulterior motives and political undertones. We are nearing local government elections, which are to be held in August and the media will be used as a free campaigning tool. It is imperative that readers are aware of this.

Mr EH Dladla
Acting Municipal Manager
Umtshezi Municipality