A video of an eThekwini Municipality street sweeper using a rake to push dirt into a stormwater drain on the roadside had drawn mixed reactions from the public. 

The one-minute video circulated widely on social media on Wednesday, but the location and date when the video was recorded were not available.

The video showed a woman dressed in the uniform that Durban Solid Waste uniform, standing next to the drain with a rake, and a small heap of grass and litter piled next to her.

The video catches her pushing the litter and grass into the storm drain on two separate occasions.

After viewing the video, Tidy Towns, a non-profit organisation and a community project, stated that littering is a community problem, not just an eThekwini or Tidy Towns issue.

“Keeping our neighbourhoods clean starts at home — with every household taking responsibility. We don’t condone littering, but as Tidy Towns, we’ve decided to be part of the solution. Through clean-ups, awareness, and community partnerships, we’re doing our part to help build a cleaner city for everyone,” it stated. 

Ish Prahladh, chairperson of the eThekwini Ratepayers and Residents Association (ERRA), commended the resident who recorded the street sweeper’s transgressions.

Prahladh called for the municipality to be transparent with the public on what sort of consequences action will be taken once investigations are finalised. 

“This is active citizenship. We have been hearing about similar incidents for years, but they lacked tangible evidence. When you drive around, you can see that the drains are sometimes filled with litter on certain streets,” he said. 

In response to the video, the eThekwini Municipality stated that it had launched an internal investigation into the matter and that due process would be followed.

The municipality stated that the worker’s actions had serious environmental consequences.

“Improper disposal of waste into stormwater drains negatively impacts the environment by polluting waterways and harming ecosystems,” the municipality said.

Reaffirming its commitment to environmental protection, the city stated that it remains dedicated to responsible waste management. 

Social media users were relentless with their comments on the matter. 

Avela Zaza said: “They do this more often than you realise. We suffer from floods because stormwater drains are filled with dirt these people discard.”

Rufaro DarareI said: “I don’t see a need to fire her. Just corrective action needs to be taken. Training and coaching.”

Wendy Greetham added: “No clue what this does to the drains – just plain lazy and deceitful.”

zainul.dawood@inl.co.za

Source link