eThekwini to spend R225m on flood-damaged infrastructure

In an effort to keep the manufacturing factories of Toyota and Mondi in Durban, the City will be spending R225 million in improving the drainage infrastructure where they operate.

On Tuesday, councillors in the eThekwini Municipality’s executive committee unanimously passed a motion for the City to spend R225 million over the next three years to improve the water and drainage infrastructure in the south Durban basin (SDB) area.

It is home to the manufacturing plants of Toyota, Mondi and other multinational companies, such as South African Petroleum Refineries (Sapref), South African Breweries (SAB), Defy, Croxley Carpets and others.

The area has been described by environmental activists as an “environmentally degraded” area, which experiences high levels of pollution due to large industrial action.

During the April floods, the area was heavily impacted, with many factories suffering billions in damages and production costs.

Toyota had to suspend production for three months after its plant was flooded. A report presented to Exco states that the insurance status of these companies is that they are “uninsurable”.

“The possibility of a company like Mondi or Toyota being uninsurable will mean, at best, no further investment in the company or the worst case is that the company relocates away from the site. This could mean relocation out of eThekwini or the country, with associated job losses,” the report states.

“The only way to ensure the ongoing investments in these companies and ensure these companies remain in eThekwini, is to ensure that they are insurable again.”

The interventions proposed by the City, to make the area more resistant to heavy floods are: building additional stormwater outfall on Clark Road, providing additional stormwater drainage capacity to the lsipingo estuary and to improve the traffic capacity of the area.

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The City also aims to reduce localised flood peaks in the area by building attenuation dams, repairing of the Umlaas canal, regularly maintaining the Mbokodweni and lsipingo River diversion berms and improving drainage on the N2.

The cost of these interventions will be shared by the City, South African National Roads Agency, national government and the companies where necessary. The report estimates that over 10 000 jobs might be lost if these interventions are not implemented and the companies relocate their plants to a different City or country.

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Thabani Mthethwa, Democratic Alliance (DA) eThekwini caucus leader, said they supported the motion, as it would cripple the economy if these companies left. Mdu Nkosi, IFP Exco member, said these initiatives should have been implemented sooner.

“I was worried that we would lose these big companies, so this comes as a sort of relief,” he said.

Mxolisi Kaunda, eThekwini mayor, said in his engagements with the heads of these companies, they indicated a desire to stay in Durban.