DURBAN – EThekwini Municipality intends to resume some services from tomorrow, Friday 16 July, following civil unrest over the past week.
The Municipality had suspended services due to protest action in various areas of the city which affected the safety and availability of employees.
The following services will resume from tomorrow:
Durban Transport
•The Municipal bus service will resume operations on Friday, 16 July with a limited-service operating in areas that are considered low risk. Following consultation with bus operators, the Municipality will re-introduce minimal services based on risk and security assessments to ensure the safety of staff and passengers.
Commuters are urged to be mindful that the shortage of fuel, clean-up of areas, and availability of staff might affect operations.
•It is expected that the Taxi operators will also begin to run their routes tomorrow. The city has partnered with the industry to ensure that the ranks are clean for commuters.
•The Dial-a-Ride service remains suspended for a while longer. The City will be in contact with the patrons of this service in due course to inform them of when the service will be available.
Parks, Recreation and Cemeteries
•PRC services remain closed except for cremation and burial services. There is a concerted effort from the City to assist the public with burials and cremations given the current Covid-19 crisis.
A skeleton staff from the city’s Cemeteries and Crematorium Department have returned to work to attend to burial and cremation bookings.
•To fast-track the process, the service is currently being centralised. Residents can call 031 3114479 for bookings.
•The oThongathi crematorium is open, but regrettably, the Mobeni one is still temporarily closed due to technical challenges.
Refuse collection
Clean-up operations and street sweeping services have started in various areas. The household waste collection service is due to begin next week.
Residents are advised to keep their refuse in their properties until then.
Water and Sanitation
Water and sanitation have resumed with limited services.
Fixing of broken water and sanitation infrastructure has started, while it will take a little longer in areas where there was major damage.
Technicians are working around the clock to restore water supply to all areas as soon as possible.
The Water and Sanitation call centre is still not operational.
Sizakala Customer Service Centres
Sizakala Customer Centres will also resume operation from tomorrow.
All offices will be open except for centres at Umlazi Mega City, KwaMnyandu, Ntuzuma and KwaMashu that were damaged in the unrest.
The Craigieburn Centre will have limited services available.
We urge our customers to be patient as some of the services will be operating with a skeleton staff.
We also urge customers to ensure that they comply with the COVID protocols when visiting our centres. The centre will be open from 07h30-16h00.
The Municipality, working together with residents, has also started with a mop-up operation, and with removing debris in the areas affected by the looting spree.
The Municipality is encouraged by the scores of residents and businesses who have come out to help clean up parts of the City.
The City is calling on all residents to join in efforts to clean up their areas in the spirit of Ubuntu.
