Court Orders eThekwini to Act on Sewage Crisis After DA Victory

The Pietermaritzburg High Court has ruled against the eThekwini Municipality, which includes Durban, ordering it to take urgent steps to address the city’s long-running sewage crisis following legal action brought by the Democratic Alliance (DA).

In a statement released on Thursday, DA eThekwini mayoral candidate Haniff Hoosen said the party had approached the court after the municipality showed no willingness or ability to halt ongoing sewage spills that have repeatedly forced beach closures in the city, polluted rivers, and the ocean, and harmed residents’ quality of life and local businesses.

The court ruling compels the municipality to implement several immediate measures aimed at protecting the public’s right to a safe and healthy environment. These include publishing weekly E. coli readings for all public beaches on official platforms and at beach sites; urgently rolling out a repair and maintenance action plan for sewer infrastructure, and regularly reporting to the court on progress.

The municipality must also communicate widely with communities living and working near beaches and rivers about water-related health hazards and pollution.

Hoosen said complaints about sewage overflows had been ignored for years, leaving communities exposed to environmental and health risks. He added that repeated attempts to secure reasonable mitigation measures from the municipality had failed, leaving the DA with no option but to seek court intervention.

The DA says it will continue monitoring compliance with the ruling and press for the complete eradication of the sewage crisis, arguing that restoring eThekwini’s water systems is essential for public health, tourism, and economic recovery in the city.