MK party’s Mervyn Dirks refuses to apologise
Addressing the Legislature, Dirks said that the Umgeni River was effectively being used as a sewage dumping site.
KwaZulu-Natal MPL Mervyn Dirks has refused to apologise for claims linking uMngeni Municipality to raw sewage pollution flowing into the Albert Falls Dam.
Dirks stood firm on remarks made in the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature, accusing uMngeni Municipality of attempting to deflect blame onto the uMgungundlovu District Municipality.
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uMngeni Municipality wants to shift the blame of cleaning up the raw sewer to the district when the raw sewer originates from uMngeni Municipality.
“They knew about the problem but never took the public into its confidence,” he said.
His comments follow a formal complaint by uMngeni Municipality Mayor Chris Pappas to the Speaker of the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature, Nontembeko Boyce, calling for Dirks to withdraw the statements and apologise, describing the allegations as “false and misleading”.
Addressing the Legislature, Dirks said that the Umgeni River was effectively being used as a sewage dumping site.
He claimed that Mayor Chris Pappas had been in possession of a report for at least six months identifying raw sewage flowing from the river towards the Albert Falls Dam, but had failed to act.
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uMngeni Municipality has rejected the claims, maintaining that it is not responsible for water and sanitation services.
It said it is not the Water Services Authority and, therefore, does not manage sewer infrastructure or environmental health functions.
The municipality said these responsibilities lie with the uMgungundlovu District Municipality and relevant provincial departments, adding that it has no statutory mandate over bulk water and sanitation systems linked to pollution incidents.
It further warned that misdirected blame risks undermining accountability and delaying urgent interventions needed to address environmental concerns.
However, uMgungundlovu District Municipality spokesperson Brian Zuma said the issue of pollution in the Albert Falls Dam was more complex than a single source.
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Zuma said recent concerns stem from an assessment by uMngeni-uThukela Water, but argued that some political responses had selectively focused on only one aspect of the findings.
“The report speaks about fertilisers from farms along the river which get washed into the river during heavy rains and are deposited into the dam, contributing to pollution,” Zuma said.
He added that sewer blockages were another contributing factor, along with infrastructure challenges at the Cedara wastewater treatment plant.
“I can assure you that the plant in Cedara is being revitalised as we speak, and a management plan in respect of blockages has been developed,” he said.
Zuma said the plan includes public awareness campaigns to discourage residents from disposing of foreign objects into toilets and pipes, which lead to blockages and overflows.
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Blockages don’t just happen people are responsible, and we need to go on an awareness drive regarding this.
The Speaker of the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature had not responded to queries by the time of publication.
