Dump site partially open
Residents are encouraged to not add to the problem by illegally dumping their rubbish.
While not yet fully operational, the Weltevreden landfill site has been opened to service members of the public only.
This is according to Ward 97 Clr Brandon Pretorius, who said it has been done to assist residents with the disposal of building materials and garden waste.
“The two mini-dump sites in town do not accommodate the disposal of such in bulk. The larger part of the site, however, remains closed since July 1,” said Pretorius.
“I reported back to the public at a meeting held last month that the newly awarded contract had followed all the processes and procedures and that it was at a finalisation stage.
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“The service provider was issued with an appointment letter on July 29. The service provider subsequently accepted the appointment on August 2.
“A pre-handover meeting was scheduled for August 5, which subsequently took place and it was expected that the reopening date would have been September 1.
“The appointed contractor, however, withdrew which is now the direct cause of the delayed opening of the landfill site.
“I did, at the meeting, explain the following possibilities and indicated that there are several elements pertaining to the final opening of the site speaking to the contractual obligations of the service provider. Nonetheless, as mentioned, the contractor withdrew and the site remains closed.”
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Pretorius is aware the continued closure of the site has an effect on the residents of Brakpan and the state of the environment directly opposite the site poses a huge health risk.
“The question frequently asked is why the site is not being cleared and the answer is quite simple. There would be no benefit in clearing the illegal dumping in front of the site while the site is still closed as one would have the very same situation in less than a week,” he said.
“This is indeed a crisis and is being treated as such. I will keep the community informed on any new developments and plead with residents of Brakpan to not be part of the problem by avoiding illegally dumping in our town at all cost.”
