NEWCASTLE was once known as one of the cleanest towns in KwaZulu-Natal.
However, in recent years it has fallen into a state of decay with ongoing sewer issues, potholes, non-functioning street lights and overgrown verges.
In addition to service delivery woes, residents are also battling high electricity bills while those who live in council homes claim they are paying rents to the Newcastle Municipality but their homes were “falling apart”.
Matthew Shunmugam, a former councillor and now the chairperson of the Newcastle Residents Association, said: “This government is useless. Many years ago, when I was a councillor, we won awards for Newcastle being one of the cleanest towns in the province. Today we are one of the dirtiest. We have a defiant council that does not care about the area. They are spending thousands of rands on snazzy events but they cannot even fix a pothole,” said Shunmugam.
“They are paying between R70 000 to a R100 000 for people to perform at events. The budgeting and priorities are all incorrect.”
Shunmugam said the town had a major sewer problem.
“This is sewerage flowing onto our roads, into our homes and places of worship. The stench is unbearable. There are potholes on our roads and the grass is not cut. We have some residents that take it upon themselves to maintain the verges around their homes because they are tired of waiting for the municipality. Our street lights also don’t work,” he added.
Shunmugam said the association had written to the South African Human Rights Commission about the sewer problem.
“In the letter, we told the commission that the persistent sewer problem was not only a health risk but a violation of our human rights. They sent out a team to investigate and referred us back to the municipality.”
“Residents are fed up with the lack of service delivery in this town. They want answers and a turn-around strategy.”
Uri Sumair, a resident and member of the Evangelical Bible Church, said a river of sewerage was flowing in sections of the church yard, local crematorium and primary school.
“The problem started about one and a half years ago. The stench is so bad we battle to breathe. Parents have complained to the school that their children cannot eat their lunch during the break because of the smell and unhygienic conditions.”
Sumair said mourners also had no choice but to ‘rush’ through their funerals.
“The crematorium also serves the community of Dundee and Danhauser. The stench is unbearable. Our youth cannot even use the sports field because there is always sewerage on it.”
Sumair said they had complained numerous times to the municipal manager, who claimed he did not know about the problems, despite him reporting the matter.
Prabashnie Ramouthar said she was still waiting for feedback from the municipality after her 71-year-old mother’s electricity bill tripled during winter.
“My mother is a pensioner and lives alone. Earlier in year her utility bill averaged R1 900 a month. But for August she received a bill of R4 185. The same thing happened last year. The municipality is charging her less in summer and more in winter.
“When she reported the matter to the municipality she was told that the tariffs went up. My mum does not use most of her appliances and cooks on gas. I live in Durban with my husband and children. I run a business from home and we have a pool pump running throughout the day. Our bill comes to R5 000. Her bill does not make any sense. “
Ramouthar said her mother had been to the municipality on numerous occasions hoping to resolve the matter.
“She stands in long queues hoping for assistance but there is nothing that comes of it.”
Felicia Gounden, who lives in a municipal staff flat in Suryaville, is unhappy that the rental for her home had increased.
Gounden, 34, shared the home with her husband and two children aged 14 and 8. She is currently 5 months pregnant.
“My husband works for the municipality so we were given housing. It is a two-bedroom flat and we have been living here since 2017. We were paying a rental of R2 580 a month and in July we were notified that it would be increased to R3 000. This upset me because the flat is in a bad state.
“Water leaks from the floor above us and has caused damage to my children’s room. When it rains heavily there is a damp smell in the room and it is hard for my children to breathe. The walls are cracking and we have a severe water leak in our bathroom that is causing a bad smell,” said Gounden.
“Our home is also infested with cockroaches. On the outside the grass is not cut regularly. It is not fair to pay rent and not get the maintenance. I have complained many times to the municipality but nothing has been done.”
The municipality did not comment at the time of going to press.