Business owners dismayed by Municipality’s lacklustre clean-up operations in CBD
The streets of Ladysmith’s CBD are an eyesore, littered with waste and filled with sand following the recent floods, with local businesses claiming that Alfred Duma Municipality has left them in the lurch.
“I had to hire a cleaning crew and spent thousands of Rands to not only clean my premises but to clean up streets and pavements alongside it,” said a local business owner who wished to remain anonymous.
Despite the Government declaring parts of KZN disaster areas following an estimated R3.3 billion in damages to both public and private infrastructure in various municipalities, local businesses claim that they have not received a single visit from officials or even an inspection.
“Even after I cleaned up there are still no Alfred Duma Municipal officials or cleaners in sight to clear the road. If you take a drive in town, you will see the waste and sand-filled streets and nothing is being done, yet municipal officials were quick to talk on national TV, saying how they are going to work with local businesses to ensure the town is up and running again,” said the business owner.
Ladysmith business owners, fed up with the state of the area, recently held a meeting where Alfred Duma Municipality’s lack of accountability was discussed with regards to the recent flood damages and subsequent clean-up processes. Business owners also raised several questions, mainly surrounding the possible cause of the flooding in the CBD area.
“We believe that the floods were caused by unmaintained and blocked stormwater drains. I have watched with my own eyes as cleaning teams sweep the waste, like plastic bottles and all sorts of rubbish, down the drain,” alleged a business owner.
During the interview with The Ladysmith Herald reporter, the local businessmen even produced footage of where water is being pushed up into the drainage system, flooding businesses in the CBD and debunking the Municipality’s claims of the Klip River’s burst banks being the cause of the floods. “We are far from the banks of the river and I can say that the water did not come from the river, but the drains.”
In 2021, heavy downpours caused the CBD area to flood, however, according to the local business owners, the extensive damages were not because of the burst river banks, but because of stormwater drains which were not correctly maintained or cleaned. “The Municipality should have to use the first incident as a learning curve, but instead just ignored it and probably hoped the problem would go away.”
In recent developments, the Democratic Alliance has written to Alfred Duma Municipality to ensure that the mandate given to the consultant includes the establishment of the cause for the flooding and whether any officials should be held accountable for having wrongfully approved new building plans, failing to comply with obligations to keep the riverbed clear of vegetation and excess slit or any other failures which may have contributed to the flooding.
At the time of going to press, municipal teams were in some areas, working on cleaning up. However, business owners allege that this is a short-term fix, that the Municipality did not begin operations in a timeous manner and do not have long-term solutions. This sentiment is shared by Alf Lees, DA MP and uThukela Constituency Head, who said that no feedback has been given by the Municipality, even after a letter was written to the Municipal Manager.
“No response has been given on how the Municipality will find working solutions,” said MP Lees.
Former Chairman of the Ladysmith Flood Liaison Committee, former Chairman of the Plaza Traders’ Association and current Chairman of the Ladysmith Mosque and Madressa Trust – including the Soofie Mosque, Dr Mohuddin Khan, believes that the Ladysmith Flood Committee needs to be re-activated and that the Department of Water Affairs needs to be involved to ensure that accountability is taken by the Municipality and to avoid this from happening again.
He said: “The community of Ladysmith has been impacted by the repeated flooding in a town which should not be flooded if there was proper governance and maintenance.”
Dr Khan also said that by working together, getting actively involved with the CBD’s upkeep and informing the Municipality of problems, flooding in the CBD area can be avoided. “Making sure that the river banks are clear and not used for cattle herding or collecting sand from the banks or a dumping site, as well as proper maintenance, will allow for proper flow of water.”
Dr Khan added that active citizens, especially business owners and ratepayers, should be allowed to visit the Qedusizi Dam to understand the functions of key role-players and ensure greater community involvement and awareness.
