Dumpsite workers remain on duty despite not being paid

Following the re-election of Tania Campbell as the city’s mayor on November 8, she vowed that refuse removal will be prioritised and should return to weekly service by this week.

This follows Ekurhuleni’s waste department struggling to service Benoni and surrounding areas.

The city’s multi-party coalition government claimed that weekly services were purposely hampered through sabotage and the non-payment of service providers by the previous administration.

Overflowing wheelie bins subsequently have become a common sight as residents waited for refuse removal trucks, which often only serviced suburbs every three weeks.

While the political power struggle for the mayor’s office was taking place in the council chambers in Germiston, the City Times visited local dumpsites.

At the Northmead dump in Hospital Road, the stench of piling rubbish was overwhelming and the skips seemed to disappear under the mounting refuse.

According to one of the employees, who wished to remain anonymous, it is estimated that up to 300 vehicles entered the facility on a daily basis.

“We are contracted to the metro through an independent company that was awarded the tender to service and maintain the dump,” she said.

“Due to the metro not paying our employers, we have not received a salary since October and were instructed to stay home.

“But some of us still clock in daily and attempt to help the public. We cannot shut the dump down, where will all the rubbish land up then?”

Another worker stated that the skips are usually emptied up to three times a week, however, this has not been done in recent weeks.

“The rubbish is piling up and we are running out of space, something needs to be done urgently,” he said.

“There is a clinic right next to the dump, this crisis will soon start affecting the patients and the medical staff. It is disgusting.”

In a statement by André du Plessis, former MMC for Environment and Waste Management pending the announcement of the mayor’s new administration, trucks were made available to service outstanding areas over the weekend of November 11.

“During this time additional skips, tipper trucks together with loading machines were deployed to dump sites in order to clear the rubbish,” said du Plessis.

“The new administration is already busy with processes to expedite corrective measures, which are being rolled out.”

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