Durban municipality resumes with some of its services
The municipality is encouraged by the scores of residents and businesses who have come out to help clean up parts of the City.
ETHEKWINI Municipality said it intended to resume with some of its services from today, Friday, July 16 following civil unrest over the past few days.
This comes after the City had suspended services due to protest action in various areas of the city which affected safety and availability of employees.
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City spokesperson, Msawakhe Mayisela said the municipal bus service will resume operations on Friday, July 16 with a limited service operating in areas which are considered low risk.
He said following consultation with bus operators, the municipality will re-introduce minimal services based on risk and security assessments to ensure the safety of staff and passengers.
“Commuters are urged to be mindful that the shortage of fuel, clean-up of areas, and availability of staff might affect operations.
According to Mayisela, it is expected that the taxi operators will also begin to run their routes. He said the city has partnered with the industry to ensure that the ranks are clean for commuters. Unfortunately, the Dial-a-Ride service remains suspended for a while longer.
“The City will be in contact with the patrons of this service in due course to inform them of when the service will be available.”
He said the municipality understands that public transport is a key catalyst for social and economic activity.
“It is therefore critical for the transport system to support essential services and help restore the social and economic life of the City. Parks, Recreation and Cemeteries services are to remain closed except for cremation and burial services.
“There is a concerted effort from the City to assist the public with burials and cremations given the current Covid-19 crisis. A skeleton staff from the city’s Cemeteries and Crematorium Department have returned to work to attend to burial and cremation bookings.”
He said to fast-track the process, the service is currently being centralised. Residents can call 031 3114479 for bookings.
“The oThongathi crematorium is open, but regrettably the Mobeni one is still temporarily closed due to technical challenges,” said the City spokesperson.
With regards to refuse collection, clean-up operations and street sweeping services have started at various areas.
The household waste collection service is due to begin next week. Residents are advised to keep their refuse in their properties until then. The water and sanitation have resumed with limited services.
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“Fixing of broken water and sanitation infrastructure has started, while it will take a little longer in areas where there was major damage. Technicians are working around the clock to restore water supply to all areas as soon as possible. The Water and Sanitation call centre is still not operational.”
Sizakala Customer Service Centres will also be operating from today.
“All offices will be open except for centres at Umlazi Mega City, KwaMnyandu, Ntuzuma and KwaMashu that were damaged in the unrest. The Craigieburn Centre will have limited services available,” he said.
He added that they urge customers to be patient as some of the services will be operating with skeleton staff.
“We also urge customers to ensure that they comply with the Covid-19 protocols when visiting our centres. The centre will be open from 07:30 to 16:00,” said Mayisela.
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