Mike Waters, MP and Kempvale constituency head, has taken the waste removal crisis in Kempton Park to the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC).
In a letter to the SAHRC, he wrote: “I am writing to you with regard to the increasing health crisis in Kempton Park due to the City of Ekurhuleni’s (CoE) inability to collect refuse, which is resulting in refuse piling up and Kempton Park being rat-infested.
“The residents of Kempton Park are paying for a service they are not receiving and despite assurances by the CoE to the Environmental Portfolio Committee in the National Assembly late last year, the situation has deteriorated, not improved.
“As submitting petitions to Parliament does not work, I am thus appealing to your office to conduct an urgent investigation into this health crisis,“ Waters wrote.
Frustration, confusion and unanswered questions are what the Kempton Park community has had to deal with during weeks of no waste collection.
The problem started with missed collection days, up to four days late and for some areas, the matter has escalated to weeks without collection.
Amid all this, residents also received no communication from the metro regarding the matter.
DA ward councillors Tracey Lourenco, Simon Lapping, Desmond Mckenzie, Amanda Davison, Alderman André du Plessis and Waters took it upon themselves to go to the Kempton Park depot on Monday morning to find answers.
Express also attended the meeting where the DA representatives sat with operations officer Maria Kekana and depot manager Betty Thabethe.
During the meeting, Thabethe was telephonically instructed by the HOD for waste management in Kempton Park, Faith Mabindisa, to only note down questions and concerns but give no answers.
A response to some of these questions was emailed to Kempton Express on Wednesday afternoon.
Q: There are meant to be 13 trucks on round collection, however, seven were found parked at the depot and seemingly not working. Why are they not working? If they need to be repaired, when will they be repaired? How long have they each been out of working order and when will they be fixed? What is the reason for them not being fixed?
A: Seven round collection vehicles in the depot are due for repairs.
Q: It is believed three of the 13 trucks don’t have the facility to lift wheelie bins. When will those trucks have that function?
A: The procurement for the bin lifters is underway. Once the process is concluded, the new bin lifters may be added to the fleet.
Q: How many trucks are working currently?
A: Four high bin lifter trucks and two trucks servicing 1.75m3 bins.
Q: According to Waters, last year when the metro was called to parliament, they undertook to get a service provider to assist with the collection. This helped but apparently that contractor suspended its services. Why have the contractor stopped when the depot’s own trucks have not been repaired?
A: The service of the community-based contractor appointed in Tembisa was extended from March 2019 to June 30
Q: When there is a backlog, why is the schedule issued not being followed to clear it?
A: The backlog management plan is drawn based on the fleet available. Therefore, whenever the number of fleet in service changes, the backlog management plan is also reviewed to suit the circumstances.
Q: According to Lourenco, a large number of wheelie bins are vandalised or damaged by employees. This needs to be investigated.
A: The observation is noted and will be followed up.
Q: Bins are left halfway across the street in some cases, bins are also being stolen due to bins not being emptied on days they should.
A: As mentioned in the past, waste reclaimers and homeless people do move bins around when they reclaim the recyclables, and criminal elements do sometimes move them when they use them to climb over gates. This requires the community’s vigilance and participation in reducing these incidents.
Q: There was talk among people that there were strikes and unhappiness in the department. How true is this and have the issues been resolved?
A: There is no strike action at the depot.
Q: Is there a plan regarding rodents, which are a growing problem due to the non-collection of waste?
A: The City has an approved rodent control strategy policy which serves as a backup plan in the control of rodent infestation. It is based on the Integrated Pest Management System (IPM). Complaints can be lodged through the City’s Customer Care Centre at 0860 543 000.
Q: What happens to the staff of the broken trucks?
A: Staff is deployed to do other duties such as litter picking, removal of illegal dumping, cleaning of depot premises and ablution facilities.
Q: When there is a backlog, too many plastic bags pile up and cannot fit into wheelie bins. Residents place these bags next to the bin but bags not in bins aren’t collected. When are the bags going to be collected, as the fault doesn’t lie with the residents but with the department?
A: When there are backlogs, employees remove both the wheelie bins and the refuse bags.
Q: Do employees know which streets they are meant to collect as there are streets that get missed during collection days?
A: Drivers have specific area maps showing the streets that must be serviced on a specific day. However, there are instances whereby trucks get full during collection after hours and leave a few streets which they collect the following day after disposal at the landfill site in the morning.
Q: Communication between ward councillors and the depot needs to be improved in order to give residents correct information.
A: Provision of refuse removal service is communicated daily to the councillors through the customer relations management office.
Q: Will residents still be billed for a service that they don’t receive, as there hasn’t been collection for weeks in some areas?
A: Residents will not be refunded as existing backlogs are attended to on a weekly basis and all waste is cleared when the backlog is addressed.
Q: Du Plessis enquired whether the Kempton Park depot had asked for money in the budget to replace trucks annually over the next five years.
A: The depots do send budget needs annually for replacement and procurement of equipment. R35-million had been allocated to the department of waste management for the current financial year. The allocation of vehicles once purchased will depend on the age of the overall fleet.
Q: All trucks are fitted with trackers. What time do the trucks leave the depot every morning? It is alleged trucks leave the Kempton Park depot around 10am. Is this true?
A: Trucks leave at 7.15am.
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