The City of Mbombela council has passed a DA motion calling on the municipality to exercise noise abatement by-laws in ward 16.
This follows two years of back-and-forth engagement with the municipality on the unauthorized student accommodation in the area.
During this period, we carried out inspections, and one of the things we discovered was that some of these student accommodations are registered as guest houses on the municipality’s database.
Residents of this ward have to deal with shouting, screaming, spinning vehicles, and breaking bottles. Lately, the park on West Acres is always left with rubbish.
Through our motion we emphasized and and highlighted Section 5 of the Noise Abatement By-Laws which states inter alia that no person shall:
- In any street or public place in or on any premises between 22:00 and 06:00 shout, sing otherwise make any loud noise;
- Operate, play, or sanction the operation or performing of any radio, television set, phonograph drum, musical instrument, sound amplifier or similar device which produces, reproduces amplifies sound;
- Operate or sanction the operation of any warning device, siren, hooter, or any similar device other than in an emergency or when required by law;
- Causes a noise or permits a noise to be caused.
We would like to reiterate that Section 2(1) & (2) of the noise abatement by-laws states that no person shall make, produce, cause, or permit to be made or produced by any person, machine, animal, bird, device or apparatus or any combination of these.
Students are welcomed in the ward, student accommodations also welcomed in the ward provided that they comply with the land use rights set out by the municipality’s Planning & Development Division.
Therefore, we expect the municipality’s law enforcement to crack the whip on students and owners who are in contravention of noise pollution by-laws.