It would be easy to link the current dire pollution crisis in KwaZulu-Natal – where most of the large previously pristine beaches in and around Durban have been closed due to sewage in the water – with the damage caused by floods earlier this year. However, the fact that provincial and municipal authorities have not been able to effectively cope with the imperative of reconstruction is also related to the human factor. These include the rampant looting of municipal funds over the years by ANC operatives and non-payment of services, which means there is simply no money. READ ALSO: Sewage gets into…
It would be easy to attribute the current terrible pollution crisis to KwaZulu-Natal – where most of the main, previously pristine beaches in and around Durban were closed due to sewage in the water – before the damage caused by the floods earlier this year.
However, the fact that provincial and municipal authorities have not been able to effectively cope with the imperative of reconstruction is also related to the human factor. These include the rampant looting of municipal funds over the years by ANC operatives and non-payment of services, which means there is simply no money.
READ ALSO: Sewage hits fan in Durban as funding for post-flood repairs remains in limbo
To make matters worse, the 1 billion rand aid promised to the province by President Cyril Ramaphosa as a result of the floods has yet to materialize. And it won’t, say advisers in eThekwini, help. It will be only a loan, which will be calculated from the appropriations of the republican budget for the next year.
The National Government must deliver the promised money immediately – and ensure that it goes to genuine and capable contractors and not to one-day money-laundering companies run by ANC comrades.
Unless these beaches are reopened, any hope of economic recovery in the province from the annual tourist pilgrimage will be dead.
