Tshwane metro to deal with increasing illegal dumping
Any person found guilty of illegal dumping is liable to a maximum period of imprisonment of three years or a R60 000 fine, or both, as determined by a court.
The Tshwane metro has prioritised its resources on eradicating the increasing crime of illegal dumping in various regions in the city.
MMC for Community Safety and Emergency Services, Karen Meyer, said the metro was aware of the proliferation of illegal dumping across Tshwane.
“This situation has been exacerbated by the outright failure of the administrators to manage and provide for adequate waste removal during their unlawful tenure.”
Meyer said last year, more than 600 illegal dumping sites in the metro were identified.
“This has evidently increased as residents dumped household and garden waste in open fields, on roadways and outside municipal facilities.”
She said the Tshwane metro had become committed to ensuring that various regions in the metro were stable, safe and that its officials delivered.
“Eradicating illegal dumping is therefore a key executive priority.”
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“To this end I had engagements with the Chief of Police, the Deputy Chief of Police responsible for Specialised Policing, and with the TMPD’s by-law enforcement unit regarding enforcement of the city’s waste management by-law.”
Meyer said she had also spoken to the MMC for Environmental and Agricultural Management and the Group Head of the Department about the liaison and interface between the TMPD and the waste management division.
She said the following key actions had been instituted by her department interfaced with others:
– The Chief of Police has issued a directive to instruct all uniformed TMPD officers in every region to proactively enforce the by-law and to apprehend suspects when they see them.
– The TMPD will provide her office with weekly statistics on the number of illegal dumping cases reported, the number of incidents they responded to, and the number of incidents proactively identified and addressed.
– The TMPD will also inform the waste management division in the Department of Environmental and Agricultural Management of reported illegal dumping incidents for these to be cleared.
Meyer said members of the public were therefore encouraged to report incidents of illegal dumping when they encountered them to the TMPD at the 24-hour contact line on 012-358-7095 / 012-358-7096, or via email at [email protected].
“Residents and business are further reminded that illegal dumping is a criminal offence in terms of sections 24 the Tshwane metro waste management by-law of 2016.
“The disposal of any waste or waste material at any place or on any premises other than through waste collection or at municipal waste disposal sites is prohibited,” Meyer said.
She said any person found guilty of illegal dumping was liable to a maximum period of imprisonment of three years or a R60 000 fine, or both, as determined by a court.
The metro could further recover remedial and administrative costs as applicable and further also recover the costs of cleaning up the illegally disposed waste from the offender.
“Residents are urged to join the metro in taking a zero tolerance approach to illegal dumping by observing the by-law, reporting illegal dumping, and partnering with law enforcement to ensure a stable and safe Tshwane that delivers for all its residents,” said Meyer.
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