The Department of Environmental Affairs has until Friday, November 23, to report back to the portfolio committee on what steps the City of Ekurhuleni intends to take to rectify the dire waste removal situation in Kempton Park.
This comes after a petition signed by residents was heard by the parliamentary portfolio committee on Environmental Affairs on Wednesday.
The petition was handed to Parliament by Michael Waters DA MP, also deputy chief whip of the official opposition.
Local resident Amanda Davidson delivered a presentation on behalf of the Kempton Park residents.
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“I must commend the portfolio committee for their swift action in this regard. The petition was only handed to Parliament on October 4, and by parliamentary standards it has been dealt with extremely quickly,” said Waters.
“I believe it has to do with the importance of the issue, and the fact that the mayor and the MMC are transgressing the National Management Waste Act in failing to collect waste once a week, which is affecting the people’s health.
On Thursday, an email addressed to the Kempton Park residents was sent by the chief director of of the Integrated Waste Management and Strategic Support of the Department of Environmental Affairs, Mamogala Mosekene.
Kempton Express also received a copy of the email.
The email read:
“Dear Kempton Park resident, the complaint that you have lodged on irregular waste collection has reference.
“Kindly advise if the waste collection problem that you have experienced in the past has been resolved.
“If the waste collection problem still persists, then kindly provide the details of the waste collection problem to enable problem resolution.”
Before ending up in Parliament, the refuse removal crisis had been addressed by all ward councillors in Kempton Park without any success. During several meetings with the local waste removal department, many promises were made by the City of Ekurhuleni but the service delivery did not improve.
In August and in October an online petition was started by the DA ward councillors. Waters laid charges against the executive mayor, Mzwandile Masina, and the MMC for environment and waste, Clr Ndosi Shongwe.
The case for the contravention of the National Environment Management Act: Waste Act, 2008 was opened at Kempton Park Police Station.
