AS part of Operation Good Hope, the South Durban Basin Area Based Management Unit (SDB ABM) together with various line departments successfully conducted an intensive enforcement blitz on Friday, 12 March on Balfour and Sage roads in Jacobs.
The collaboration included the city’s Safer Cities Unit, Parks Department, Electricity Department, Fire Department, Building Enforcement, Metro Police, Business Licensing, Business Support, Communications, Durban Solid Waste, as well as the Water and Sanitation.
The Metro Police were tasked with charging various offences such as unlicensed vehicles and businesses, hawkers and other traffic violations. Members of the SDB ABM monitored service delivery issues in the area as well as provided support, assistance and guidelines to local businesses to ensure operational compliance.
The purpose of this interdepartmental enforcement was to improve the socio-economic and infrastructural conditions of the whole of eThekwini Municipality.
The operation is part of a multi-dimensional approach to service delivery consisting of elements such a clean-up, the investigation of fire and safety processes and assessment of businesses. These range from compliance to enforcement from the building inspectorate, business support and a conditional assessment of the area.
SDB ABM’s project leader Irene Chetty said that proper coordinated service delivery yields productive service provision.
“Sharing of resources allows a smooth flow operation. Community engagement is important when a city is conducting these operations to ensure active stakeholder and community participation. In an area like Jacobs an operation needs to take at least a minimum of two days. The area is characterised by multiple businesses that require an intensive inspection and the ensuring of bylaws compliance,” she said.
The senior manager at SDB ABM, Eurakha Singh, said the operations are a directive from the chief operations officer as being instituted by eThekwini Municipality mayor, Mxolisi Kaunda.
“Our office’s role is to facilitate and fast-track service delivery in all our areas. These operations that take place with various line departments throughout eThekwini is to ensure all comply with the by-laws. We aim to make a difference every day in the lives of our community,” said Singh.
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