Protests at Pikitup’s Marlboro depot leave Alexandra streets buried in trash
Rubbish heaps have left Alexandra residents frustrated, as protests at Pikitup’s Marlboro depot stall waste collection.
For more than a week, mounds of rubbish have piled up along Alexandra’s avenues as workers’ protests at Pikitup’s Marlboro depot stalls waste collection.
On Alfred Nzo Street, between 2nd and 4th Avenue, the median strip is buried under waste beginning to scatter onto the road. Goats have also taken to scavenging through the growing piles.
The problem extends to parts of the Pan Africa Shopping Centre as well, particularly along Watt Avenue, between 2nd Avenue and 3rd Street, where sections of the road remain heavily polluted.
Vincent Tshabalala Road has also been affected by high levels of pollution.
While some residents have folded their arms and are waiting for Pikitup trucks to finally arrive, other residents, frustrated by the growing waste on 8th Avenue, have taken matters into their own hands, organising community clean-ups.
“We saw that it was better that we clean up ourselves as a community, because some rubbish is blown into the passage when it is windy,” resident Glory Mokgola said.
Mokgola, who was working alongside Rose Shuma and Melita Mohatli, said the rubbish heap is starting to hurt nearby businesses, especially the two fast-food stalls that operate braai stands in the open air near the pile.
She further stressed that it also poses a health risk to children who play in the area.
Also read: Ward councillor urges Alex residents to clean up 6th Avenue
Shuma said they are determined to see the job through properly. They plan to return tomorrow to clear the site and bag the waste securely.
She added that plans to secure a van to collect it are underway.
The renewed build-up of rubbish comes just days after Alexandra ward councillors led a clean-up campaign with residents on July 25 and 26, arranging for roughly four waste collection trucks to remove properly bagged refuse from the area.
Ward 107 councillor Floyd Ngwenya said while the setback is tied to an ongoing labour dispute at Pikitup, Alexandra cannot be left to decay.
“We are in solidarity with [the workers].
Also read: Alexandra residents take charge in Pan Africa clean‑up drive
They must be absorbed into Pikitup, because they have been working for over eight years as temporary workers, but we are saying that we cannot let Alex be dirty. We can’t let Alex be what it is.”
Pikitup has acknowledged the disruption, noting that collection services have been affected in areas served by its Marlboro and Randburg depots,” Pikitup spokesperson Anthony Selepe said in a statement issued Monday.
“The ongoing protest action has significantly affected operations, particularly at the Marlboro depot, where casual workers have prevented permanent employees from leaving the depot to undertake scheduled collection services.”
Selepe added that scheduled services in affected areas may not resume this week, and that the entity is engaging with the protesting workers in an effort to restore normal operations.
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