eThekwini Municipality takes decisive action against vagrants and drug camps near Albert Park

The eThekwini Municipality has removed drug addicts and vagrants from under the M4 freeway, Che Guevara Road, on Friday. 

For more than a decade, vagrants and drug addicts have played a cat-and-mouse game with municipality officials at the southern entrance to the Durban CBD, commonly referred to as the Albert Park area.

The municipality had been moving vagrants away from this zone, only for them to reoccupy another plot of land within the zone. 

For two months, they had occupied the pavement and traffic lanes of Che Guevara Road, making it an unsightly and dangerous intersection for motorists and businesses in the lower Umbilo area.

 On Friday, the municipality focused on street sweeping, litter picking, removal of illegal dumping, and dismantling of the unlawful structures.

The operation was led in collaboration with eThekwini Supply Side and Area-Based Operations, the Waste Management Directorate, Durban metro police, and supported by Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) employees. 

Doran Subiah, chairperson of the Umbilo Business Association (UBA), said that any action that resulted in a cleaner, safer environment for businesses, residents, and visitors is a step in the right direction.

He said that a clean precinct is non-negotiable for public health, business viability, and investor confidence. It was also the foundation upon which their broader vision for Umbilo as a thriving port precinct and cultural hub depends.

“However, our experience compels us to state clearly: a single clean-up operation, while welcome, is not a strategy. For too long, we have seen a cycle of neglect, followed by a reactive burst of activity, only to return to neglect weeks later. The illegal dumping sites will re-emerge, and the unlawful structures will be rebuilt if the root causes are not addressed with sustained, systemic action,” Subiah stated. 

According to the UBA, this operation highlights three critical issues that require the eThekwini Municipality’s committed partnership:

1. The need for sustained enforcement and prevention:

The presence of the metro police is crucial. This enforcement must be permanent and proactive in the Umbilo precinct to deter illegal dumping and by-law infringements daily, not just during clean-up campaigns. Without consistent enforcement, the UBA believes that they are merely treating symptoms.

 2. The humanitarian crisis behind unlawful structures:

The dismantling of structures must be handled with compassion and must be part of a coordinated, city-led strategy that offers real social support, rehabilitation, and shelter alternatives. An approach based solely on removal is inhumane and unsustainable. The UBA calls for the municipality to engage with stakeholders on a holistic solution.

3. Systemic investment in infrastructure:

Clean streets are undermined by chronic water pipe bursts that erode pavements and leave debris, and by power outages that plunge areas into darkness. A truly clean and functional Umbilo requires the municipality to prioritise and fund the overhaul of our crumbling water and electrical infrastructure.

Subiah said that the UBA stands ready to move beyond criticism to collaboration. 

“We offer to be genuine partners in maintaining this standard. We can facilitate business involvement, support community policing forums, and contribute ideas for sustainable urban management. We require the municipality to match our commitment with a transparent, long-term plan for Umbilo that includes regular maintenance schedules, infrastructure investment, and a dedicated safety and cleanliness partnership.” 

zainul.dawood@inl.co.za