Felophela landfill site turned filthy wasteland
"It is hard to imagine how any person in their right mind would allow this to ever happen again," outraged councillor Hans-Jurie Moolman stated.
The Felophepa Landfill Site is one of the biggest threats to health and safety that Promosa residents are experiencing. After much reporting on the state of the landfill site, the Herald received information that J.B. Marks Municipality had contracted a company to evaluate the situation. The company found the landfill site was in a dire state and instructed the current contractors to restore the landfill within 14 days. The contractors failed to do so, and the company advised the municipality to terminate the contract.
In a report the Herald has seen, the company stated the following: “It is obvious from the work done thus far and the non-submission of requested documentation that the contractor does not have the resources to do the work specified in the tender document. We, herewith, recommend the services of the contractor should be terminated as the contractor is in breach of its contract with J.B. Marks Local Municipality. We believe the contractor does not have the resources to operate and manage the site to achieve compliance with the permit conditions of Felophepa Landfill Site.”
The Herald contacted the municipality to verify whether it would terminate the contract at the landfill site.
According to spokesperson Jeanette Tshite, no letter of termination was handed in, and J.B. Marks would not end the contract.
DA councillor Hans-Jurie Moolman wrote to the executive mayor and municipal manager, expressing his concern about the state of the landfill site. Moolman said: “The landfill site fulfils a critical part of the services for which we collect revenue and expect our residents to pay. It is unimaginable that the municipality overlooks the service provider’s failure to perform its obligations or that any further payments from the public purse are made for what appears to be the total absence of a counter-performance.” Moolman continued, “This is precisely what caused the problems with previous contractors that caused serious hardship and harm to our community when waste piled up outside the landfill site. It is hard to imagine how any person in their right mind would allow this to ever happen again.”
The Herald wanted the municipality to confirm that it had hired a consulting firm to evaluate the landfill site, which Tshite did.
The Herald asked whether J.B. Marks had considered terminating the contract. “Terminating the formal contract is a final resort when all possible remedial action has been exhausted. The newly-appointed contractor has been on site since October 2023, barely four months.
The municipality is currently observing an alleged termination from consulting engineers before we implement the conclusion. We will consider the matter carefully to ensure we don’t expose the municipality to unnecessary litigation at the end of the day.”
Cornelia Hitge.
The Herald visited the landfill site on 29 January, and it was clear that it had deteriorated since a previous visit in November 2023.
