Police descend on Umlazi to get rubbish removed despite death threats
Parts of Durban’s Umlazi looked like a war zone on Monday as members of the public order policing unit, eThekwini metro police and private security descended on the township to oversee clearing of waste. Since last Tuesday, rubbish was left uncollected after a group calling itself the local business forum allegedly threatened contractors with death unless they stopped working there. Contract and municipal workers were forced at gunpoint to dump refuse on roadsides. Members of the Umlazi Business Forum — including Umkhonto WeSizwe veterans, the Delangokubona Business Forum and other local contractors — had made the big township ungovernable. Uniting these groups was the claim that eThekwini Municipality was awarding tenders to politically connected individuals. Forum member Mdu Shezi said they were tired of politically connected people getting eThekwini tenders. "Even if they remove refuse today, these police (officers) would not be here next week and we will start our campaign again...
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