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3 eThekwini’s Green and Ecological Infrastructure Policy Landscape
and SuDS. His answer suggests that eThekwini relies heavily on research and assessments to inform its policies and plans, and that it spends a lot of financial resources
on such endeavours and too little on capital expenditure.
Furthermore, he believes that the huge migration to the city results in burgeoning
urbanisation. This migration is not only from other parts of South Africa, but also
from the rest of Africa, which overburdens Durban’s infrastructure. Hence, there is
a need to shift the expenditure from research and assessments to capital expenditure
projects.
Respondent 16 spoke at length about various technological options, including
nature-based solutions, for dealing with the solid waste from wastewater treatment
plants. He gave a specific example when he said that:
There is a decentralised waste water system in Newlands, Kwamashu, which serves a block
of houses. The water goes through a wetland and this wetland supplies water to a market
garden where they grow crops. The solid matter can be turned into pellets and there is a lot
of technology available to refine the solid waste material, like sludge, and turn it into useable
stuff. Then there is the black soldier fly project. We use the larvae that are grown on the
sludge…to extract oil from them. Therefore, if you deal with the sludge, at the same time
you get products from the larvae. The next step would be to do it on a large scale. This means
that you have all these baskets of technologies that can deal with this resource, namely, the
solid waste…, which contains incredibly valuable phosphates. I think it is important that
you have an ecological infrastructure, a built infrastructure and a circular economy that
meshes them all together. The black soldier fly larvae would also be part of the ecological
infrastructure, as they are part of a nature-based process.
With positivism in mind, the respondents framed their recommended action
through the lens of ’Who governs and who benefits?’ (Hobson and Seabrooke 2007,
2009). This analytical organising question assumes that there is a hierarchical order
(Table 2.1). This grading consists of the state actors, who govern at the top, and
the non-state entities or individuals who benefit (Hobson and Seabrooke 2007) at
the bottom. We see this manifesting in the responses of Respondents 5, 7, 9, 11,
12 and 16. Respondent 5 said that the eThekwini Municipality should do more
to educate people and communities about alien vegetation clearing and rainwater
harvesting, as this would benefit the people and communities. Respondent 7 recommended more studies into the benefits of green and ecological infrastructures for
communities and the wider public. Respondent 9 also mentioned the feasibility of
the water fund, while Respondent 11 noted that the municipality should govern more
for the benefit of everybody in the uMngeni River basin, and Respondent 12 argued
that the municipality should invest more in ‘capex projects’ that will, by implication, benefit Durban’s residents. We also see this in Respondent 16’s lengthy quote
about a decentralised wastewater treatment plant and the use of the black soldier fly
for treating solid waste from the plant. This enterprise will result in the Newlands
community benefitting from the municipal initiative.
In all the recommended actions above, the respondents argued that the eThekwini
Municipality, as a structure of rule, as well as part of a capitalist economy (Hobson
and Seabrooke 2007, 2009) is the entity that is responsible for improving the water and
human security of both the municipality and its inhabitants. For instance, Respondent
9 specified how the establishment of a water fund could solve the municipality’s water
3 eThekwini’s Green and Ecological Infrastructure Policy Landscape
and SuDS. His answer suggests that eThekwini relies heavily on research and assessments to inform its policies and plans, and that it spends a lot of financial resources
on such endeavours and too little on capital expenditure.
Furthermore, he believes that the huge migration to the city results in burgeoning
urbanisation. This migration is not only from other parts of South Africa, but also
from the rest of Africa, which overburdens Durban’s infrastructure. Hence, there is
a need to shift the expenditure from research and assessments to capital expenditure
projects.
Respondent 16 spoke at length about various technological options, including
nature-based solutions, for dealing with the solid waste from wastewater treatment
plants. He gave a specific example when he said that:
There is a decentralised waste water system in Newlands, Kwamashu, which serves a block
of houses. The water goes through a wetland and this wetland supplies water to a market
garden where they grow crops. The solid matter can be turned into pellets and there is a lot
of technology available to refine the solid waste material, like sludge, and turn it into useable
stuff. Then there is the black soldier fly project. We use the larvae that are grown on the
sludge…to extract oil from them. Therefore, if you deal with the sludge, at the same time
you get products from the larvae. The next step would be to do it on a large scale. This means
that you have all these baskets of technologies that can deal with this resource, namely, the
solid waste…, which contains incredibly valuable phosphates. I think it is important that
you have an ecological infrastructure, a built infrastructure and a circular economy that
meshes them all together. The black soldier fly larvae would also be part of the ecological
infrastructure, as they are part of a nature-based process.
With positivism in mind, the respondents framed their recommended action
through the lens of ’Who governs and who benefits?’ (Hobson and Seabrooke 2007,
2009). This analytical organising question assumes that there is a hierarchical order
(Table 2.1). This grading consists of the state actors, who govern at the top, and
the non-state entities or individuals who benefit (Hobson and Seabrooke 2007) at
the bottom. We see this manifesting in the responses of Respondents 5, 7, 9, 11,
12 and 16. Respondent 5 said that the eThekwini Municipality should do more
to educate people and communities about alien vegetation clearing and rainwater
harvesting, as this would benefit the people and communities. Respondent 7 recommended more studies into the benefits of green and ecological infrastructures for
communities and the wider public. Respondent 9 also mentioned the feasibility of
the water fund, while Respondent 11 noted that the municipality should govern more
for the benefit of everybody in the uMngeni River basin, and Respondent 12 argued
that the municipality should invest more in ‘capex projects’ that will, by implication, benefit Durban’s residents. We also see this in Respondent 16’s lengthy quote
about a decentralised wastewater treatment plant and the use of the black soldier fly
for treating solid waste from the plant. This enterprise will result in the Newlands
community benefitting from the municipal initiative.
In all the recommended actions above, the respondents argued that the eThekwini
Municipality, as a structure of rule, as well as part of a capitalist economy (Hobson
and Seabrooke 2007, 2009) is the entity that is responsible for improving the water and
human security of both the municipality and its inhabitants. For instance, Respondent
9 specified how the establishment of a water fund could solve the municipality’s water