Service delivery remain a pertinent issue in Lower Illovo and residents are at their wits ends. Sewage overflow, power outages and unkempt municipal land are just a few of the issues that plague residents daily. Despite constant complaints and queries to the eThekwini Municipality, residents feel that they belong to a forgotten community. Most recently the streets flowed with raw sewage. According to residents, it took the municipality more than a week to rectify.
“The sewage overflow was terrible, it was due to a missing manhole cover, which the community was unaware off,” said teacher, Vani Marrie. “After a week of receiving numerous reference numbers from the municipality, I eventually contacted the ward councillor and sent her pictures. The issue was resolved after some time. Service delivery is a constant problem in the area. Another issue we experience every week is when our refuse is picked up, on Wednesdays. When bin bags fall off the refuse removal vehicles, it’s just left to lay on the roads. The garbage gets strewn all over the roads as vehicles pass by. It’s quite an eyesore and health hazard. Illovo used to be such a neat and well-kept little settlement when it was in the hands of Illovo Sugar. Once the municipality took over, the place has turned for the worse. With unkempt vacant land and extremely poor service delivery.”
Marrie also claims that residents are subjected to frequent power outages due to missing transformer covers.
“The municipal land is overgrown, which attracts crime in the area. Most residents pay out of their own pockets to have these issues fixed.”
Meanwhile, another resident, Selvan Naidoo claims that the municipality diverted sewage to be pumped out into the river.
“The land near the sport ground is covered in sewage. The area looks like a dumping ground. We need proper solutions and not make shift temporary fixers. It is unacceptable for us to live in these conditions. Lower Illovo was once a pristine area and now it looks like a ghost of its former self. Something needs to be done in our community,” added Naidoo.
Earlier this year, residents were forced to endure streams of sewage and fly infestations in their homes. These residents had taken it upon themselves to create pathways to divert the sewage from their homes to avoid their yards from flooding. A comment from eThekwini Municipality was not made available at the time of publication.
ALSO READ: Sewage causes a stink in Lower Illovo
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