eThekwini Municipality resumes with services

THE eThekwini Municipality will resume with its services including refuse collection, health care services and public transport from Monday, July 19. The Sizakala Customer Service Centres and Durban Fresh Produce Market will also be operating, although all parks will be closed in line with level 4 lockdown regulations and several beaches are closed due to contamination.

All Sizakala Customer Centres will be in operation, from 07:30 to 16:00, except for centres at Umlazi Mega City, KwaMnyandu, Ntuzuma and KwaMashu. These centres were destroyed during the unrest.

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“All centres will operate with a full staff complement except for the Craigieburn Centre which will have limited services available,” said the Municipality.

The Durban Fresh Produce Market has opened its doors for trading as of July 16 and will continue operating as per normal from 05:00 to 09:30.

Refuse, water and transport

In a statement, the eThekwini Municipality thanked all stakeholders participating in clean-up operations taking place.

“Refuse collection and street sweeping services will resume as of July 19. Residents are requested to take out their refuse bags on their scheduled collection days. Landfill and garden sites will also re-open. Details of categories of waste that are accepted in the different sites are outlined on the municipal website,” read the statement. 

The municipal bus service will be operational, but the Durban Transport service will be operating a “B timetable”, which is a school holiday schedule due to schools being closed. Bus operations will start at 04:00.

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“All areas will be operational except for routes operating via Phoenix , for example, Mount Edgecombe, Mahatma Ghandi Hospital. The Umhlanga service will be diverted not to operate via Phoenix. The Dial-a Ride service is not operational yet. It is expected to resume later in the week,” continued the statement.

All water and sanitation services will resume today, July 19, and the Call Centre will be fully operational. Residents are advised to contact the Call Centre number: 080 131 3013 or EWS WhatsApp number 073 1483 477 for more information on water supply and sanitation related enquiries or services.

Clinics

The City’s Primary Healthcare facilities (clinics) including mobile services will be operational. Community vaccination sites will also be opened. Residents who are eligible to receive the vaccine are encouraged to register.

“The public is urged to be patient as there may be queues at the various service centres given the backlog that built up over the past week. Residents are also reminded to observe all Covid-19 protocols when visiting the various service centres,” said the Municipality.

Parks and beaches

All municipal parks and facilities will remain closed for public use until further notice as per level 4 lockdown regulations. EThekwini Central and Southern Beaches are closed to the public until further notice.

“This is because the shark nets are not being serviced due to the unrest. The beaches north of the Umgeni estuary up to the Tongaat River are also closed due to the contamination of the uMhlanga estuary. The public will be advised when it is safe to use the beaches,” read the statement.