As waste piles up across Alexandra, Ward 107 councillor Floyd Ngwenya has issued a plea for residents to step up and take ownership of their neighbourhoods.

He said the dumping on 6th Avenue and Reverend Sam Buti Street has become difficult to manage. He said the issue was brought to his attention during the week.

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While Ngwenya acknowledged the challenges, including protests that hampered Pikitup’s ability to operate as it should, he called on community members to roll up their sleeves and clean up the illegal dumping site.

“What I will do from my side is that those who don’t have plastic [bags] can come to my office and collect them. Once you have plastic bags, then you can clean,” Ngwenya said.

He promised to engage with Pikitup to ensure that once the area is cleared, refuse trucks will be dispatched to collect the bagged waste.

“We can’t allow for the streets to be like this. Let us take responsibility as residents in our areas and make sure that we clean up the rubbish,” he emphasised.

He noted the problem is widespread across Alexandra and expressed hope that Pikitup would resolve the crisis soon.

Also read: Volunteer cleaners confront litter and local resistance on 2nd Avenue

Meanwhile, the City of Johannesburg’s Executive Mayor, Dada Morero, assured residents that the city is prioritising the restoration of services. He revealed this during a media briefing on National Treasury correspondence and key city matters on Wednesday.

“The teams have been all over to deal with the backlog, to ensure that we collect and once they have cleared the backlog, it means your regular and frequent collection will now happen unabated,” he said.

Morero confirmed that following a meeting with Pikitup and the Department of Infrastructure, processes are in place to resume normal operations.

He acknowledged previous cash flow challenges affecting the entities but stated these have been resolved. “The entities have received what is due to them so that the operations can resume.”

Earlier this month, Pikitup attributed the city-wide waste collection disruptions to protest action by casual workers demanding permanent employment. At the time, the entity stated it was working to clear the backlog and implement a recovery plan.

Still, Ngwenya emphasised that while authorities work on long-term solutions, residents must protect their environment in the meantime.

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