The eThekwini Municipality anticipates spending R113 million on the three-year Prospecton Canal project update situated in the south basin precinct. 

The project, which is in its second year, is spearheaded by the Coastal, Stormwater and Catchment Management (CSCM) department and was highlighted at the eThekwini Executive meeting (Exco) on Tuesday.

Durban Mayor Cyril Xaba is expected to meet Toyota South Africa Motors Limited (TSAM) executives in the coming week after the municipality, Transnet, and the Department of Transport (DoT) were informed about a lawsuit instituted by insurance company Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Co. 

In court papers, it is stated that the three organisations failed in their duty to maintain infrastructure and should have known that neglecting such responsibilities could lead to flooding.

During the April 2022 floods, the structural integrity of the Umlaas Canal and the diversion berm was compromised, leading to stormwater flowing into the Prospecton Industrial Area, where the Toyota plant is situated, causing extensive flooding and damage, as read in the court papers.

The insurance company stated that Transnet owns the Umlaas Canal and is responsible for its management and maintenance, as well as the associated flood risk. The concrete-lined canal is intended to channel and divert the uMlazi River around the Prospecton Industrial Area. Together with the diversion berm, it forms an integral part of the flood control and prevention mechanism for the Prospecton Industrial Area.

It said the DoT was responsible for the management and maintenance of the diversion berm, while the municipality owned, managed, and was responsible for the maintenance and control of the stormwater management system for the Prospecton Industrial Area.

On Tuesday, Xaba said the events of the past two weeks, which have seen the municipality lose some court cases and the potential lawsuit arising from flood damage suffered in 2022 by TSAM, may have created doubts in the minds of residents. 

Xaba said this was raising questions about whether management is steering the municipality in the right direction.

“These are historical matters, some of them will continue to be with us for some time. I am planning to meet the Toyota management soon to understand the rationale behind this move. I am concerned that this case might open a floodgate. The city cannot afford this,” Xaba said.   

He assured the public that they are working to tighten internal controls to address these governance issues, which paint the municipality in a negative light.

He said the measures to be adopted include automation of contract management and the appointment of a team of professionals to strengthen controls in this area. 

“The city has been losing court cases because of weaknesses emanating solely from poor contract management. It is against this background that we call upon the management to aggressively re-evaluate its systems with the aim of closing these serious gaps in our contract management environment. Now that the courts have pronounced on some of these cases, we must respect the court decisions and ensure we do everything to implement them,” Xaba said. 

zainul.dawood@inl.co.za

Source link