Residents demand ward rezoning amid service-delivery issues

FRUSTRATIONS over poor service delivery and allegations of maladministration in Ward 75 have fuelled a call by residents of Chinatown and Navy for their areas to be re-incorporated into Ward 68 ahead of the 2026 municipal elections.

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This development was highlighted during a community meeting at the Merebank Community Centre on August 7.

Historically part of Ward 68, Chinatown and Navy were shifted to Ward 75 following a recent demarcation. At the meeting, various community representatives expressed discontent with the change, citing a lack of consultation and transparency in the redistricting process.

Residents argue that their constitutional rights were infringed upon as they were not given a voice in the decision-making process.

Nischal Ramesh, a local resident, revealed that the formation of a new community association, the Chinatown and Navy Civic Association, was a direct response to the eThekwini Municipality’s inadequate handling of service-delivery issues.

“The authorities have repeatedly ignored our concerns. The formation of this association is our way of demanding accountability and better service.”

A resident, Premilla Deonath, highlighted a critical issue in Merebank – the neglected sewerage infrastructure.

“The current state of the sewerage system is unacceptable and has prompted our resistance against the neglect of our community’s needs,” she said.

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Residents have also reported health-related concerns linked to the deteriorating conditions in Ward 75.

One resident involved in the health sector shared an additional challenge: “Our outreach teams have struggled to assist a bedridden patient in Ward 75 due to restrictive demarcation protocols. This is a clear example of how the redistricting is impacting our ability to deliver essential services.”

As the community pushes for a rezoning that reflects their historical and logistical realities, they are demanding a fair and transparent process that includes meaningful consultation with all affected residents.

The head of the Chinatown Residents Forum, Maggs Virasamy, said, “Chinatown Residents’ Forum was formed in 2019 for the sole purpose of improving the levels of service delivery. The organisation has grown from strength to strength over the years.

“Being the head of the organisation, I have worked tirelessly with my executive to ensure that our community has always had good service delivery.

“We’ve had meetings with our Ward 75 councillor in Merebank with regards to the poor service delivery by eThekwini. We had maintained contact with the office of our councillor, and even then, there was no improvement in service delivery.

“We, as the community, then took it upon ourselves to make contact with eThekwini to get the work done for the community. I had made contact with most of the departments in order to improve the quality of service. I have maintained a very cordial relationship with eThekwini and was thus able to improve the quality of service delivery for the community.

“On March 23, 2022, after the height of Covid-19, I held a public meeting at the Parashakti Temple Hall. This proved to be very successful with a unanimous decision taken by the community for Chinatown and Navy to be incorporated into Ward 68. Members of the Merebank Residents’ Association (MRA) were present at that meeting and supported that motion. However, one of the members pointed out that this process could only commence after the 2024 elections. The matter was held in abeyance until after the elections. Three weeks back, we again convened a meeting at the Alipore Road Primary School with the MRA on the same issue of demarcation. It was agreed upon to pursue the matter.”

The call for the reassignment of Chinatown and Navy areas back to Ward 68 emphasises ongoing frustrations with local governance and a pressing need for responsive administration in the area.

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The eThekwini Municipality has yet to respond to these grievances, leaving residents hopeful that their calls for reform will prompt action before the next municipal elections.

The proposed demarcation process has four stages, with the education and awareness phase being the first step – to be launched during community engagement meetings. From October this year until February 2025, officials will conduct consultations on the proposal. Following this, a final draft will be presented to the KZN Demarcation Board in March for review.

Once the board has reviewed the proposal, it will engage with residents for public consultations from April to June next year.

At a meeting, residents also proposed the establishment of an interim demarcation board committee to oversee the process. The committee will comprise experienced individuals from various fields who will act as intermediaries between the board and the community.

The final assessment of the proposal is expected to be completed by October next year. Subsequently, the board will hand it over to the Independent Electoral Commission for review ahead of the municipal elections.

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