Durban - The City of Cape Town has invited the eThekwini Municipality to visit the city to see how to address sewage leaks timeously after a Durban councillor made an official public statement “wishing” the DA-led administration well following sewage leaks at its beaches.
The statement posted on eThekwini’s website has also drawn fire from Durban residents who viewed it as sarcastic and petty. EThekwini has come under severe criticism for failing to deal with its own sewage pollution that led to the closure of some beaches.
A statement issued by the municipality on behalf of councillor Nkosenhle Madlala said: “We wish our colleagues in Cape Town well as they battle sewer spillages in some of their beaches. Running a metro is a complex task fraught with many challenges, even if you have been spared from the devastating floods experienced in April last year. We wish them speedy recovery.”
The comment drew 1 800 comments on social media and was shared more than 250 times, and in most of the comments the municipality came under fire for the post.
DA eThekwini caucus leader Thabani Mthethwa said that instead of making such comments, the municipality should focus on addressing its own infrastructure problems.
In a stinging rebuke, the party said it had also invited the eThekwini Municipality to Cape Town to see how to address sewage leaks in two hours, an offer declined by eThekwini.
“The DA believes that the ANC should focus its energy on fixing infrastructure instead of issuing frivolous and petty statements about other municipalities. The statement by councillor Madlala was a poor attempt at humour which was met by a ferocious backlash on social media by members of the public, and rightfully so.”
He added that the City of Cape Town DA councillor, Alex Lansdowne, who chairs the mayoral advisory committee for water quality in wetlands and waterways, pointed out to eThekwini Municipality that 90% of sewage leaks in Cape Town were attended to within two hours of reporting.
Mthethwa said it was a simple fact that this tourism season had been a disaster for eThekwini, and beaches that were supposed to be open by December 1 were not, and there remained extreme concern about water quality.
Lansdowne told “The Mercury”: “Currently all beaches in Cape Town that were closed last week are open and safe for recreational use. We have processes and resources in place to keep our beaches safe for recreational use.”
He said when there was a sewage pollution incident, they rapidly dispatched teams to repair broken infrastructure.
He added that there were environmental health protocols to close beaches and scientifically monitor the water quality until it’s safe for recreational use.
“EThekwini has sewage flowing into their rivers and oceans 24 hours a day. It does not seem like eThekwini has a plan to protect their waterways and beaches.
“This is why I invited them to learn from our experience in dealing with sewage pollution.
“The eThekwini Municipality declined the invitation to visit Cape Town.
“I am sad to see eThekwini play politics when they have no plan to stop sewage pollution. The City of Cape Town is always happy to share knowledge and expertise with other South African cities. The door is always open,” he said.
EThekwini Municipality spokesperson Msawakhe Mayisela said as far as the city was concerned, there was no malice in the statement.
“We do not know where this thing of being sarcastic is coming from, we stand by our statement and wish Cape Town a speedy recovery because we have been there and we know the challenge.”