Pikitup spokesperson Anthony Selepe said the city’s waste management entity had experienced reduced operational capacity over the past few days, resulting in delays to scheduled collections and leaving waste uncollected in some areas.

Selepe apologised to affected residents and said operations had since stabilised, with teams working to clear the backlog as quickly as possible. “Available resources are being prioritised and deployed to affected areas, with teams focusing on outstanding collection rounds and restoring normal collection schedules,” he said. Pikitup has encouraged residents who are able to do so to use its integrated waste management facilities to dispose of excess household waste during the recovery period.

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The disruption has also raised concerns about the wider challenges affecting waste collection across Johannesburg. Ward 88 councillor Nicolene Jonker said Pikitup’s 2025/26 business plan highlighted pressure on its collection fleet, recording 81 refuse-compactor vehicles, high breakdown levels and an average reliance on approximately 289 additional specialised ad-hoc fleet units per day to make up the shortfall.

Pikitup said, on October 6, that operations had stabilised and that available resources were being prioritised to clear the backlog. As of October 7, Pikitup had confirmed that it was operating at reduced capacity, with at least 147 collection routes across the city outstanding. Jonker said residents would ultimately judge the recovery by whether their refuse was collected and normal weekly schedules were restored. “Residents should not have to accept repeated non-delivery of a service they are billed for,” she said.

She added that residents who had arranged private or community-based refuse collection during the disruption should not be seen as replacing Pikitup’s responsibility to provide the municipal service. Jonker said the priority should be to clear outstanding routes, stabilise the fleet and fuel supply, address supplier-payment problems and establish a sustainable collection service.

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Pikitup said it understood the frustration and inconvenience caused by the delays and appreciated residents’ patience and co-operation. Selepe said its teams remained focused on clearing the backlog and returning services to normal as soon as possible. However, residents affected by the 13-day delay are still waiting for their refuse to be collected.

The publication sent a follow-up query to Pikitup to find out more about its recovery plan. Pikitup indicated it would respond by October 12, and the article will be updated once a response is received.

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