Bluff residents rally for urgent action on service delivery failures

Concerned residents of the Bluff, south of Durban, held a march against crime and decay along Tara Road, intending to highlight rising crime, unsafe parks and beaches, a lack of visible policing, and decay.

They handed a memorandum to Zoe Solomon, eThekwini Ward 66 councillor, on Saturday,  demanding that service delivery failures be addressed. 

Residents are tired of a decade of excuses and no budget claims, said Allison Schoeman, vice chairperson of the Bluff Ratepayers and Residents Association (BRRA).

The memorandum acknowledged Solomon's efforts, but stated that municipal responses have been delayed, inadequate, or absent. 

The residents stated they can no longer remain silent while the environment deteriorates. Solomon said she will take the memorandum to the relevant municipal departments. 

Some of the residents' concerns were: 

• Homeless encampments on beaches and public land. Initiatives such as soup kitchens, free shopping events, and unregulated welfare handouts — while well-meaning — are directly attracting transient populations into the area without infrastructure to manage them.
• Increase in petty and violent crime, open substance abuse, illegal dumping, and antisocial behaviour.

• Unregulated truck movement through residential areas is destroying road infrastructure, creating noise pollution, and posing safety risks.
• An increase in unlicensed informal traders operating across the Bluff, with no coordination or enforcement by municipal officers. This leads to unmanaged waste, congestion, and urban disorder.
• The municipal dump site in the Bluff is allegedly a health hazard, poorly managed, and dangerously close to residential zones.
• The Parks Department lacks adequate resources and a sufficient staff complement to manage the numerous parks, open spaces, and stairways. 
• Road conditions in the ward are deteriorating. 

• Property values are under threat due to deteriorating public safety and civic infrastructure.
• Public confidence in municipal services is eroding.
• Ansteys Beach and Brighton Beach are in a dire state. Despite promises of CIP (Capital Infrastructure Programme) funding to repair Ansteys, no visible work has commenced.
• Local businesses that rely on tourism — including restaurants, guesthouses, and surf schools — have reported significant declines in foot traffic and income.
• The Bluff requires a dedicated metro police station to be established on Foreshore Drive to ensure a permanent and visible policing presence in the area. 
• Healthcare Facilities: No new clinics shall be planned or constructed in Ward 66 without comprehensive community participation and engagement. Instead, priority must be given to the upgrade of the existing Bluff Clinic to meet the actual needs of residents.

• Bluff Precinct Plan: Implementation of the Bluff Precinct Plan (June 2022), prepared by Isibuko Development Planners CC and approved by Council, must commence no later than January 2026.
• Wentworth Hospital's ongoing and critical concerns must be addressed. This is the only hospital serving Ward 66 and the surrounding wards. 

• Oversight and Compliance Task Team: The municipality must establish a Bluff Oversight Task Team within 30 days of the memorandum, including representatives from the Bluff Ratepayers and Residents Association, NPC, and other stakeholders. This Task Team will receive monthly written reports on all projects and services listed in this memorandum, monitor compliance, and be empowered to escalate unresolved failures directly to Provincial and National Government, as well as relevant Chapter 9 institutions.

“The Bluff community has been patient, respectful, and engaged in good faith. But we are now on the brink of a complete breakdown in safety, infrastructure, and public trust,” Schoeman said. 

zainul.dawood@inl.co.za