On the weekend 15-16 January a hill in the Motala Heights area was stripped of its vegetation and cleared in what looks to be the early stages of property development. In the process of the clearing, municipal waste water infrastructure was damaged resulting in raw sewage flowing into the adjacent river.

Pinetown councillor Warwick Chapman believes the actions are not only illegal in terms of the zoning and building regulations, but constitute environmental damage as well, “I have confirmed with the Housing and Town Planning departments that neither council nor private developers have projects planned or approved in that area at the moment.”

Lots 39, 41, 42(Sub 3), 50, 51 of Pinetown are affected and the the owner is suspected to be a Mr Govender who is also said to have been dumping a lot of glass and rubble in the Lot 39/41 area near the road over the past years. (Please refer to photographs).

Councillor Chapman was called to the area by members of the community because the clearing operation also detroyed a Shembe Temple about halfway up the hillside. He immediately reported the matter to the eThekwini Environmental Management Department and can confirm that action is being taken. “A site visit has been conducted by a member of the City’s Environmental Planning and Climate Protection Department and a member of their enforcement branch where it was confirmed that extensive damage to an endangered grassland type has taken place. They also also confirmed that the person responsible was said by residents to be Mr Govender.”

The Environmental Planning and Climate Protection Department we will be conducting a site visit with members of the Provincial Department of Environmental Affairs for further investigation regarding contravening EIA regulations. eThekwini Sanitation and Town Planning has been be notified in regards to the damage to a sewer pipe and contravention of the sites zoning limitations.

Councillor Chapman visited the eThekwini Wastewater team onsite on Saturday morning (22/01) where an attempt was being made to stop the flow of raw sewage into the river. “Not only has there been extensive damage to municipal sewer infrastructure, but the environmental damage to the grassland and particularly the pollution of the river system with raw sewage is severe. This sort of flagrant disregard for the law in unacceptable and whoever is responsible must be prosecuted to the fullest extent possible.”