By Hajira Khota                                                                                                                                                            24.11.2021

The Democratic Alliance is considering suing eThekwini Municipality for allegedly contaminating and ruining Durban Harbour through sewage spills.

According to video evidence presented by worried harbour users and residents, a river of raw sewage running into water nears the Yacht Marina.

DA KZN spokesperson on Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (EDTEA), Heinz de Boer says that the eThekwini Municipality decommissioned a perfectly functional pump station to make space for a proposed hotel on the Point Waterfront, it crippled itself.

After being severely damaged by load shedding, the Mahatma Gandhi Pump has been repaired, according to the city.

He said a DA team comprising councillors, Members of Parliament, and the provincial Legislature conducted an oversight check last week and discovered various flaws, including the fact that the pumps are not proper sewage pumps.

Water pumps, on the other hand, are prone to clogging and breakdown owing to foreign objects in the sewage system.

Msawakhe Mayisela, a spokesperson for the eThekwini Municipality, said the authority was aware of sewage flooding the Durban Harbour via Lavender Creek.

He explained that the Mahatma Gandhi Pump Station had been flooded due to load shedding and repair operations at the time.

However, he claims that alien objects being dumped into their systems is wreaking havoc with their infrastructure.

The DA is currently engaging in obtaining legal advice in this area in order to defend all people’ constitutional right to live in a pollution-free environment.