The Democratic Alliance has raised its concerns on numerous occasions that the refuse removal department is failing the residents of Kempton Park at every level.
Despite numerous top management meetings with the refuse department and the COO of Ekurhuleni, Joe Mojapelo, the refuse removal woes continue and residents are at their wit’s end, said Ald André du Plessis, DA spokesperson for environment and waste management in Ekurhuleni.
Since the inception of the new refuse removal schedule, the service has almost never been on time. Wheelie bins are emptied days after the scheduled day, leaving residents in limbo.
“As the DA, we have been driving the call for the MMC for environment and waste management in Ekurhuleni, Clr Ndosi Shongwe, to step down for failing to perform her delegated tasks as an MMC and ensure that services are delivered.
“We are now calling on the executive mayor, Clr Mzwandile Masina, to step in and take action. The non-delivery of the most basic services is a black mark on this metro’s report. We can no longer allow rubbish to litter our streets due to ineffective leadership. The mayor needs to take action against the non-performance of his executive and the municipality’s top officials,” Du Plessis added.
“Masina needs to jump in and get his hands dirty to get Kempton Park clean and service up and running once again. The streets are littered with rubbish and residents go weeks without having their refuse removed, posing serious health risks.
“This poor management of waste removal is now also affecting other areas surrounding Kempton Park, as the Kempton waste depot is now dependent on surrounding waste depots to supply trucks for their daily backlogs. If this matter isn’t resolved it will spiral out of control. We need the mayor’s urgent intervention.”
Du Plessis said service delivery was the basic core function of the municipality and failure to execute its basic function was a clear indication that the ANC-led metro did not have its residents’ best interests at heart.
