Mayor Mavundla wants KZN municipality to handle its own water and sanitation services

Newly elected mayor of Umvoti local municipality Philani Mavundla has asked the provincial government for permission to provide its own water and sanitation services because residents are being failed. 

The Abantu Batho Congress leader and former eThekwini deputy mayor wrote to KZN MEC for co-operative governance and traditional affairs Bongiwe Sithole-Moloi this week.

He said the Umzinyathi district municipality — led by the IFP — has failed Greytown residents and businesses.

Mavundla said the provision of basic services such as water and sanitation have been assigned to the district municipality, however, the community have been suffering from the lack of provision. 

Mavundla said the municipality is also incurring unnecessary costs for transportation and disposal of waste to Msunduzi regional landfill site. 

This is despite the department of environment, fisheries and forestry having built a regional landfill site within Umvoti, which is not operational due to a lack of interest from the licence holder (Umzinyathi district municipality), he said. 

“Section 88 of the Structures Act states that there must be co-operation between district and local municipalities. A notice of motion on transfer of functions (Annexure A) was tabled to council at its meeting on June 27 2023 and was unanimously approved for the transfer of functions assigned to Umzinyathi back to Umvoti municipality. We, therefore, plead with the MEC to approve the above request,” reads the letter. 

Umvoti municipality speaker Mfundo Masondo told TimesLIVE Premium the municipality has a plan to ensure that services of water and sanitation are delivered to residents and businesses.

Masondo said the budget for those services will fall under Umvoti municipality and be used for water and sanitation.

We will have to fix the existing infrastructure that has been neglected. There are boreholes that we built here but are not working, and just need minor repairs. The issue of sewage is also a challenge.

—  Umvoti local municipality,
Philani Mavundla

He said over the years, the municipality’s housing projects and other new houses have been added to the existing sewer line. This has led to a collapse of the sewer lines as they are unable to deal with the pressure. Masondo said they have been trying to get the Umzinyathi municipality to address the matter, but nothing has happened. 

“One of the challenges is that Umzinyathi municipality uses the money from grants to pay salaries. That is why they are failing to address infrastructure issues. I have put motions to the Umzinyathi council, but nothing has been done. 

“Should we be approved, we have a long way to go, but we have a proper plan. We will have to fix the existing infrastructure that has been neglected. There are boreholes that we built here, but are not working and just need minor repairs. The issue of sewage is also a challenge,” said Masondo. 

Masondo said communities now have to rely on streams and rivers to collect water to drink, cook and wash. 

He said this was unacceptable considering that they are sharing these streams with livestock. 

He said schools and hospitals are badly affected.

“Schools are calling seeking assistance with water. We have a school called Vavule Primary School, which is embarrassing and the principal is always asking us to help refill the tanks. There is Ndubazi Primary where pupils collect water from a stream and that’s not healthy,” he said.

But Umzinyathi district municipality mayor Petros Ngubane denied it was failing the community.

“I am not going to waste my time on matters handled jointly by the minister of water and sanitation and the district. Our officials are hands-on and our problems are going to be a thing of the past. We have managed to sort out the Greytown sewer plant, and the next will be Kranskop, Pomeroy and Nondweni. Our water tankers got internal attention as we have started doing in-house services.”

Ngubane appealed to local mayors, councillors, ward committees and other community members to take ownership of the infrastructure and assets of the municipality. 

He said the guarding of the infrastructure and reporting on all vandalism and tampering with it, through illegal connections and acts of theft must be reported to the police.

“During the first three months of the financial year, we will accelerate maintenance for the ageing infrastructure and replacement of all equipment to the broken pipes and borehole,” he said.

KZN Cogta spokesperson Sboniso Mngadi said the department would respond after going through the letter.