eThekwini Municipality

Durban Municipality – A dysfunctional entity run by *****s. There is a tree in the Westgate Complex - a Municipal property - that over hangs the adjacent property which is the parking lot for Helen Gibling Gardens, a complex under the jurisdiction of Bill Buchanan Association for the Aged. This tree continuously drops sap and dirt on top of many vehicles. To get this sticky sap and dirt off the motor vehicles, one needs to go to a car wash have it high-pressure cleaned on a regular basis, if left too long it takes a double cleaning to rid the sap and dirt. This is an expensive cost to the pensioners whose vehicles are contaminated with this sap This matter was reported to the municipality back in November 2023 in an email with a request that they please endeavour to have their tree felling department cut down this tree. The email exchanges since this date have been numerous, dealing with a Ms Fumana Gangatele, who it seems oversees this Westgate complex. We were promised action late in December 2024 that something would be done soon. It is now close to the middle of February 2025 and this issue remains unresolved. The irony of this overall situation, after having being told by Ms Gangatele to be patient, is the issue of waiting more than a year to have this matter resolved. How ludicrous can one get. We even consulted with our local DA councillor Ernest Smith, who it seems, has had no success. We even copied in Dianne Kohler Barnard of the DA to see if she could do anything but all we got was deathly silence. The Berea Mail was approached who did a piece on this matter on the 27 September 2024 which must have fallen on deaf ears within the municipality. We tried to get the Berea Mail to do a follow up story but our request to the contact party at the Berea Mail has also fallen on deaf ears, our contact person does not even respond to our follow up requests. Just goes to show what an efficient organisation they are! The long and short of this story is, that a tree in a Municipal property, adjacent to the property of Bill Buchanan, is causing unknown damage to pensioners motor vehicles. A relatively simple matter of getting this tree cut down, really does not need the involvement of the rocket scientist, one wonders whether this ANC municipality has gone to Parliament to get authorisation. It is an utter disgrace that this simple matter has gone on for more than to year to resolve. This scenario, is really a good indication of how badly this municipality is run and it is no wonder that it has become a total embarrassment to the ANC when they have *****s running it. A dysfunctional municipality indeed. The effectiveness of the many people employed therein leaves a lot to be desired as to their effectiveness and managerial skills. Coupled with this type of pathetic management, one also reads that water tankers were recently stored in a depot unable to deliver water because they had no money for diesel. This is what you would call brilliant management skills! We now read of sewage flowing openly in La Lucia area near the La Lucia Mall. Incidentally, we also have a major health problem here at Helen Gibling Gardens in that a sewage pipe leading down from the same Westgate complex, goes through the residential area of Helen Gibling Gardens. There is an inspection manhole whose base has collapse, resulting in the sewage water etc seeping into the ground and then seeping out of one of the weep hole pipes in a retaining wall and into the gutter outside a residential unit. No action from the Municipality again One wonders at what else one can do to get these matters resolved other than employing an attorney to start litigation. This municipality is dysfunctional and seems to be staffed with *****s who are dragging this city further down into the sewage pit. Yet in time to come they will request an increase in the rates, while service delivery continues to spiral downwards into the chute to the proverb