THE four-week interruption of work caused by intimidation and harassment that left many parts of the eThekwini Municipality without essential services, has been resolved, the municipality said in a statement.
This follows a series of meetings between the city leadership and aggrieved parties to reach an amicable solution to end the service disruption.
“Two weeks ago, the city filed a court interdict prohibiting the intimidation, harassment and assault of municipal employees and contractors. This was after a group had been threatening municipal staff as they tried to carry out their duties. Some private sub-contractors were also affected as they were prevented from honouring their contractual obligations,” said the municipality’s Head of Communications, Tozi Mthethwa.
The city has now started to address the backlog in service delivery especially in areas most affected by the disruptions. Areas which have been without water and electricity will be prioritised. Employees and contractors most affected by the threats are under constant support by security agencies.
“We want to thank residents for their patience during the interruption of services and give them the assurance that we are working around the clock to clear the backlog. We
are confident that our residents and businesses will receive normal services soon. We will prioritise areas that are adversely affected,” she said.
A joint operation committee, which will meet regularly to monitor the situation, has been formed. Depots that have been under siege will also be monitored to ensure that they are safe. “As a city we value our service delivery mandate to our citizens and will do our best to prevent further service disruptions,” Mthethwa added.
