eThekwini's R22m statues vs basic services: a question of priorities

As the eThekwini Municipality plans to spend R22 million on statues honouring freedom fighters, the city faces collapsing infrastructure, water shortages, and sewage crises. DA Mayoral Candidate HANIFF HOOSEN argues that true respect for our heroes means prioritizing service delivery over symbolic spending

OUR history is unique. Nowhere else in the world has a country walked a path that we did and survived the way we have. This is the beauty of South Africa where citizens always chose growth over destruction. And we owe it to those who sacrificed their entire lives for the freedoms we enjoy today. Our freedom story is carved into the memory of this city by men and women who stood tall when everything else sank into fear.

The real irony of the story today, is that we destroy the very freedoms that those before us fought for, when we make embarrassing decisions in their name. 

One such embarrassing decision is the one taken by the eThekwini Municipality to spend R22m on statues to honour our freedom fighters. On the face of it, the decision seems like a noble idea.

But when you consider the myriads of service delivery backlogs and crisis the city is facing, there can be no justification whatsoever for this decision. 

Just this week, the city’s water and sanitation department tabled an assessment of the sanitation infrastructure in the city which is largely collapsing because of years of neglect. It is going to take another 10 years and more than R17bn rands to repair. This is the money that we don’t have. The high levels of sewer flowing into our oceans is a nationwide story and the tourists have disappeared because of this. 

The city is running out of cash and has now had to rely on loans from banks to the tune of R10bn to fund infrastructure upgrades. 

Communities go without water for weeks on end because the water infrastructure is also collapsing. Years of neglect and low maintenance have brought us to this state. 

Durban has the highest number of informal settlements in the country. More than 600 of them. Our city governments boasts that it will take them about 90 years to clear the housing backlog at the rate that they are building houses. 

Our road infrastructure is also collapsing, and potholes have become the frustration of residents all over city in an environment where city spaces are poorly maintained. 

Our municipality is already bruised by a trail of procurement scandals and irregular expenditure to the tune of R4 billion. 

And while all of these backlogs are apparent, our city government spend R22m on statues. It’s an absurd and embarrassing decision when the people go to the city are crying out for better governance and better service delivery in vain.

I want to make this clear. I am not war with our heritage. I am not at war with wasteful expenditure and poor spending. We need a decent balance, sobriety and responsible spending of the people’s money. Durban belongs to its people. It is time to rebuild what has been neglected, restore what has been lost and renew what has been abandoned. 

Statues, no matter how noble their intention, do not keep the lights on. They do not clean our oceans, repair substations or reopen factories. They do not protect a single home from crime. They stand frozen, collecting bird dung all day while a city either rises or collapses around them.

Durban cannot stomach another chapter of symbolic spending while tender controversies multiply, sewage leaks into rivers, and citizens plead for a basic survival kit.

We have to honour our past and never forget the people who fought for our freedom. The best way to do this is to deliver on the promises that they fought for by building a better life for people and not building better statues. 

The best tribute to our past is not erected in bronze but built in competence and good governance. 

And it is times like these that we must ask ourselves, what would Mandela do?

** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL or Independent Media. 

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