WATCH: R3.5 million drained out of Durban City budget
A total of 31 arrests, which vary from attempted murder, public violence, road traffic infringements, illegal use of council vehicles in the commission of crime and serious damage to business property.
THE eThekwini municipal employees from the Water and Sanitation Unit, including Durban Solid Waste (DSW) that took the Durban CBD by storm this week have cost the eThekwini Municipality R3.5 million in damages so far. That’s according to KwaZulu-Natal premier, Willies Mchunu, who was speaking at a media briefing today.
“This excludes the impact on the economy which is still being quantified and the cost of hiring privately owned water tankers where reservoirs and valves have been tampered with. We are informed that 90 per cent of the water services have been restored,” he said.
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Mchunu added that the government appointed an intervention task team on Monday, 29 April to address the prolonged strike that erupted on Friday, 26 April after disgruntled employees protested against the City’s decision to promote employees especially MK veterans.
“This has now graduated to the state of dramatic visuals and events of lawlessness that we have come to witness in recent days,” said Mchunu.
According to Mchunu, the security team has made a total of 31 arrests, which vary from attempted murder, public violence, road traffic infringements, illegal use of council vehicles in the commission of crime and serious damage to business property.
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“This crisis has had a crippling effect not only on infrastructure and economy but it has also inflicted serious reputational damage on the City, the province and the country. Currently we are hosting the annual Tourism Indaba which is intended to keep and generate new job opportunities and inject much needed money to the economy. We now have a situation where hotels housing international guests are without water. On Wednesday, the Metro escorted water tankers to various hotels across on the beach front, as well as various areas across eThekwini such as KwaMakhutha, KwaMashu, Folweni, etc. This will have huge repercussion for us in the long term,” said Mchunu.
He emphasised that the illegal strike action erupted during the negotiation period, while the Municipality was engaging with their employees
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