Refuse piles up while collectors party
Litter bags were left uncollected on pavements in various suburbs in Benoni, while waste management employees were attending a "fun day" on Friday, December 5.
Residents took out their litter bags as per the refuse removal calendar, on Friday, but they have not yet been collected.
As a result, some were torn apart by dogs, vagrants and the gale-force winds experienced over the weekend.
Residents started asking questions when they realised that litter bags were still standing outside, with no word of explanation.
Ward 100 councillor Peter Henning immediately wrote to the relevant people in the metro, saying he could not understand why residents did not receive their weekly service on Friday or on Saturday.
Henning said the circular from the city manager about the “fun day “ made it quite clear that no service delivery must be compromised.
“Your counterparts in Kempton Park also did not collect refuse in certain areas on Friday, but still provided a service on Saturday,” wrote Henning.
“I would imagine that your department will provide all the residents who did not get their weekly services in the above areas with the necessary credit for non-performance from your department.
“Please advise how you will be doing credits so that I can advise this very frustrated (quite rightly so) community with some good news.”
The City Times saw an email communication between Henning and one of the regional executive managers in the waste management services.
The manager replied to Henning: “As you are aware all employees were invited to the fun day and all the employees indicated that they will attend the fun day as per the invite.
“Waste management services arranged for the hiring of one of the vehicles with crews as a contingency plan to ensure service on Friday, to prevent further overtime expenditure.
“The work force at all the depots objected to the deployment of contractors and threaten to prevent the contractors from working in the various areas.
“In Benoni the deployment of the contractors failed due to intimidation by the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality workforce before they left for the fun day.”
The manager said Henning’s request for credit for the refuse not being removed on Friday “cannot be dealt with at this level” and suggested that he refer the matter to the group chief financial officer.
Ekurhuleni spokesman Themba Gadebe confirmed that employees were attending a fun day.
Gadebe also confirmed that the deployment of the contractors failed due to intimidation by the municipal workforce before they left for the fun day, challenging the clear instruction from the head of department in the waste management services that no overtime should be worked due to personnel attending the event.
“In order to prevent similar incidents in future, the waste management services is to make a recommendation to council that the annual fun day be held on a Saturday, to prevent impact on service delivery,” he said.
Gadebe added that the backlogs caused by the non-rendering of services on Friday will be caught up this coming Friday (December 12), even if it means working late.
“Arrangements will be made with the Weltevreden landfill site to accommodate dumping trucks until 9pm on Friday, should that need exist,” he said.
The Ekurhuleni Metro apologises for the inconvenience caused.
