Richards Bay CBD degradation must be tackled to encourage investment

PUBLIC drinking, drug dealing, informal traders, prostitution and defecating in public are the major factors contributing to Richards Bay CBD looking like a slum.

These were some issues raised at a meeting organised by Ward 2 councillor Christo Botha at which the Bay business fraternity gathered on Friday to discuss the plight of the CBD’s decay and the way forward.

‘We called this meeting so we could take note of all the concerns raised by the business owners and operators so we can work with the municipality in cleaning up our city,’ said Botha.

‘It is unacceptable that our business district has reached this level of degradation and we are here to make a difference.’

Botha said the CBD has become unappealing to prospective investors, who are either scared off or turned off by what they see.

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There are parts of the CBD that are ‘no-go’ areas dring both the day and the night, and Botha said order must be brought back to the city.

A lack of law enforcement and a lack of follow through on threats by the municipality were concerns raised by a number of business owners.

Nightly partying and drinking in the CBD’s car parks – both during the week and at weekends – results in a carpet of broken glass, as well as other litter, every morning.

While existing liquor legislation in KZN is silent on public drinking, the City of uMhlathuze is drafting new by-laws which will make this an offence.

Informal traders

The municipal demarcated area for informal traders is reportedly virtually empty of traders owing to people drinking in the area and threatening the traders.

A number of solutions were put forward, including the provision of public toilets for which informal traders are incentivised to keep clean.

Business representatives called for better policing of the trolley pushers, who at times remove DB board covers and manhole covers along with their recyclable materials.

On a broader spectrum, environmental impact education programmes should be rolled out in schools to make children aware of looking after their environment.

The clamping down of street mechanics, who do not utilise the municipal-provided premises was also raised as a solution.

‘Now that we have some concerns and solutions to work with, I will draft a report which will be submitted to the municipal manager and all deputy municipal managers so we can all work together to clean up Richards Bay’s CBD,’ said Botha.

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