The City of Ekurhuleni has announced that the Simmer and Jack landfill site in Germiston is expected to resume operations on Wednesday, April 22, following its abrupt closure last week – due to violent clashes between illegal miners and waste recyclers.

The facility has been closed for a week after a shooting incident linked to a confrontation between illegal miners and waste reclaimers.

Metro spokesperson Zweli Dlamini said the situation has since stabilised, with EMPD officers deployed on site to monitor operations and ensure the safety of officials and users.

The city noted that recurring violent clashes over control of waste reclaiming and illegal mining activities have repeatedly led to the indefinite closure of both the Simmer and Jack landfill site and the Weltevreden landfill site in Brakpan.

The municipality has apologised for the inconvenience caused.

Authorities have previously conducted targeted operations against armed groups of illegal miners operating at landfill sites in the metro.

At national level, government has recently intensified security interventions in response to rising violent crime, with the President announcing the deployment of the SANDF in Gauteng to assist in combating illegal mining and gang-related violence.

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