Ekurhuleni shuts Simmer and Jack landfill amid safety concerns

The ongoing violent clashes over control of waste-reclaiming and illegal mining activities in the City of Ekurhuleni have led to the indefinite closure of the Simmer and Jack landfill site in Germiston.

The metro confirmed that the facility has been temporarily shut following a shooting incident linked to a confrontation between illegal miners and waste reclaimers today.

Law enforcement agencies, including the EMPD and the SAPS, have been deployed to secure the area and restore a safe working environment for municipal staff and members of the public who rely on the site.

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As a result, waste collection trucks have been redirected to alternative landfill sites, including Rooikraal in Dawn Park, Platkop in Katlehong, Weltevreden in Brakpan, and Rietfontein in KwaThema.

The diversion impacts waste collection and disposal services across affected areas.

“The Simmer and Jack landfill site will remain temporarily closed until safety is restored, and the city apologises for the inconvenience caused,” said metro spokesperson Zweli Dlamini.

Meanwhile, a source who spoke to the Boksburg Advertiser on condition of anonymity alleged that the violence may not just stem from operational clashes between the two groups. It is claimed it could involve extortion, with one group reportedly demanding payment from the other for access to waste materials.

The source claimed that similar tensions have been reported at the Weltevreden landfill site in Brakpan.

Authorities have previously conducted operations targeting armed groups of illegal miners operating in some of the city’s landfill sites.

At a national level, the government has recently moved to intensify security interventions against violent crime, with the president announcing the deployment of the SANDF in Gauteng to assist in combating illegal mining activities and gang-related violence.