Phalaborwa residents demand action as town loses its shine
Phalaborwa residents say the town is losing its reputation as the cleanest in the country, calling on the municipality to enforce its by-laws.
PHALABORWA – Some Phalaborwa residents are longing for the days when the town was known as the cleanest in the country, with others warning it will struggle to reclaim that reputation unless things change.
Civil group Let’s Change Ba-Phalaborwa (LCBP) is calling on the Ba-Phalaborwa Municipality (BPM) to enforce its own by-laws, removing informal traders from restricted areas and ensuring litter is collected regularly.
‘Bush mechanics’ take over public spaces
Speaking on behalf of LCBP, Trevor van Rooyen said Wildevy Park has turned into an informal mechanics’ work area.
“Oil, car parts, boxes and whatever are simply discarded where the bush mechanics carry out their illegal trade,” he said.
He added that bush mechanics have also taken over the newly paved square outside Hi-Q, on the corner of Palm and Kiaat streets – the same spot that proudly displays the Ba-Phalaborwa Municipality’s provincial flag.
Litter everywhere
Van Rooyen said he has repeatedly tried to escalate the matter to the municipality, without success.
“We have litter everywhere, even next to the spots where people are cooking and serving food. It is not right for people without permits to sell anywhere. There are businesses paying rates and taxes; everyone else should also pay,” he said.
By-laws being ignored
According to the municipality’s by-laws, the municipality may, on reasonable notice to an informal trader, temporarily suspend trading from an informal trading area or site if its continued use is impractical or inconvenient for the municipality, any sphere of government, or any public entity and its service providers.
The by-laws also prohibit informal traders from lighting fires or littering, yet Van Rooyen says traders have been seen doing both, often burning litter when collection is delayed. He warned that this poses a health risk, particularly to people eating food sold near the litter.
Municipality begins clean-up
On Friday, August 7, BPM posted on their Facebook page photos of where they started to clean the area behind Hi-Q, Wildevy Park and other littered areas around town, including Namakgale.
The Herald reached out to BPM for comment but had not received one by the time of publishing.
