Ward 98 councillor Beverley Jacobs has raised concerns about the Fairland dumpsite and its surrounding area, calling on Pikitup and the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) to place it on a daily cleaning schedule.

Jacobs said the condition of the dumpsite, and surroundings, has not only become an eyesore; it is negatively affecting businesses in Fairland.

“We have got many business areas in Fairland, and the businesses are affected by the litter. They are affected by the current conditions as well.”

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She questioned the fairness in how city resources are distributed across different suburbs, pointing to Windsor East as an example.

“We recently did a clean-up in Windsor East. We used so many resources – we used trucks, tractor-loader-backhoe’s (TLB), and a lot of human resources to clean up that site. Now, taking into account that Windsor East gets cleaned daily in that business district, I need to ask: Where is the fairness in distribution of resources?”

JMPD Superintendent Xolani Fihla stated that, in response to residents frustration, their members, alongside Beagle Watch, were present at the dumpsite on September 17.

“Furthermore, regular patrols are conducted as part of the ward based policing programme, with additional support from the By-law Management Unit (BMU). However, due to resource constraints, we cannot be on site at all times.”

Beagle Watch managing director Andre Aiton expressed frustration at having to allocate their own environmental team to clean the site.

“It is frustrating. People believe: ‘Don’t worry, Beagle Watch will clean it up’. We, like any business, have overheads and costs, but we can’t just leave it like this. Our reaching out to authorities over the past number of years is simply not helping.

“The dumpsite poses other issues in the area: Drugs, taxis washing in the roads, and residents still dumping rubbish at the closed dump site.”

Aiton warned that the continued neglect of the dumpsite, and its surroundings, is damaging the community’s image.

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“Beagle Watch, for example, has a reputation to uphold, and although we are 300m away, I want to ensure we are not associated with this mess.”

Pikitup spokesperson Muzi Mkhwanazi stated that the site was cleaned in collaboration with JMPD.

“Pikitup avails itself, when requested, to participate in clean-up campaigns, because it has always maintained that the cleanliness of the city requires a collective effort.

“Maintaining the cleanliness of the site requires residents to refrain from dumping waste items, particularly furniture or other valuable items, which are often taken and sold by individuals at the site.”

He highlighted that residents who need to dispose of large, or bulky, items, such as furniture, must use other operational waste management facilities, or contact their respective depots to arrange for collection through Pikitup’s free bulky waste service.

Pikitup has had its fine, issued upon it for removing vegetation for the construction of the dumpsite, reduced from R5m to R1m, and it is currently busy procuring the non-monetary items of the fine, such as 2 000 litter pickers, 1 000 units of 2-liter peach trees, and 200 000 40-micron waste refuse bags.

Thereafter, Pikitup is expecting the Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to give them a way forward for the dumpsite, said Mkhwanazi.

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