The City of Johannesburg led a clean-up operation in Alexandra on August 5, part of its citywide Pikitup recovery clean-up initiative aimed at addressing waste backlogs across the metro.

Region E director Makgafela Thaba said the drive is targeting areas where illegal dumping has become most severe.

“We are addressing the issues of waste removal following some of the activities that were not being undertaken by Pikitup. We are targeting areas that are actually of a pressing nature, where there is a high volume of waste that has either been dumped, or people have been disposing of it,” Thaba said.

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Among the priority sites is Vincent Tshabalala Road, a route well known to commuters for long stretches choked by uncollected refuse. Lenin Drive was also identified as a hotspot with high levels of dumping.

Thaba appealed to Alexandra residents to bag their waste before disposal, particularly those using informal dumping points in the area.

“Those using the traffic island on London Road should not just dump it as it is; they should try by all means to bag it so that when we come through, we can collect it properly,” he said.

He added that the city had brought in independent service providers to help supplement collection services while the situation with Pikitup is resolved.

Thaba also called on residents to stop burning waste, warning of the health and environmental risks involved.

“It exposes you to environmental pollution; smoke is something that is not supposed to be inhaled by human beings.

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You are also affecting the environment. It might not be visible to the naked eye, but you are contributing to climate change. The general state of the area is also not conducive for children and older people. So the appeal is that people must, at all costs, avoid burning waste,” he said.

The clean-up drive comes as Pikitup grapples with ongoing disruptions linked to protest action in Marlboro.

On August 3, Pikitup confirmed that collection services in parts of the city were being disrupted by protest action from casual workers contracted through waste collection service providers, who are demanding to be absorbed by the entity.

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The entity confirmed that the protests had resulted in the blockading of entrances to multiple depots, including in Marlboro, preventing waste collection trucks and Pikitup’s permanent staff from leaving depots to collect waste.

“Pikitup wishes to emphasise that its employees are not on strike. However, the blockades have significantly affected the entity’s ability to render services,” a Pikitup statement read.

Pikitup said it is engaging with relevant stakeholders and law enforcement agencies, including the affected service providers, to help restore normal operations.

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