By Gugulethu Jali
Residents in Mayville, Cato Crest area in ward 101 have voiced out their frustrations and concerns following the municipality’s failure to collect refuse waste.
Credible Source findings revealed that it’s been 3 months since the municipality last picked up waste that resulted to residents deciding to dump waste in the nearby water stream.
The water stream has now turned into a breeding ground for diseases and discomfort as it gives off terrible smell that fills the nearby homes and surroundings. Families living in the area are forced to endure these unbearable conditions, with many worried about their health and safety.
Speaking to Credible Source, Masisi Gigaba who’s a resident in this area claimed that they are disappointed as they have voiced out their complaints, but they are not heard.
“We are tired of living like this. The smell is horrible, and our children are getting sick. We just want the municipality to do their job,” said Gigaba.
Nelile Gcumisa who is also a resident said that their wish is for heavy rains hoping that a natural downpour might wash away the waste.
“As for me who pays rent here, I feel like I am wasting my money because I might get sick for living here. I wish for heavy rain so that it can wash away all this smelly waste. This is not the way of living,” she said.
Service delivery is one of the pressing issues in many of the municipality’s in KwaZulu-Natal and it remains to be seen how will the municipality tackle this ongoing problem.
Gugulethu Lembethe from Health Services at the Durban University of Technology, City Campus, said to live in places that are dirty, they are prone to diseases.
“People who are living in dirty places like Cato Crest have many chances of getting Tuberculosis (TB) and other respiratory problems. If they are using the same water that they throw refuse waste on, they will experience problems of rash and diarrhea
On the other hand, we wrote to the eThekwini Municipality, seeking their comment on the matter, they replied saying they received our inquiry and will get back to us within the 24 hours but never did.
