Tshwane says it lacks jurisdiction to clean illegal dumping on private land
A resident, who has been living in the area for 30 years, claims that their borehole water is being affected by the illegal dumping.
An illegal dumping site at the corner of Monument Drive and Mimosa Avenue has continued to grow, despite interventions that have taken place since residents raised their concerns.
Doc van Rooyen, who has lived in the area for over 30 years, said the problem began around 2014.
“We have had several people from different departments come to the site, but it has not made a difference.
This is also affecting our groundwater. We only use borehole water, so this isn’t good for us.”
Tshwane spokesperson Lindela Mashigo said that the metro has no legal jurisdiction to effect clean-ups on private property.
“Illegal dumping is a serious scourge in the city,” Mashigo told Rekord.
“Apart from the environmental pollution and health hazards it causes our communities, it destroys the beauty of our city and encourages a culture of lawlessness.”
He said that the illegal dumping at the site was happening on privately owned land.
“This poses a challenge for the city being able to clean such areas, as it has no legal jurisdiction of effecting clean-up on privately owned properties.”
He said that in a case like this, the metro must contact the landowner and direct them to act.
The problem must be resolved in line with provisions of the city’s by-laws, which place liability on a property owner for the prevention or removal of illegal dumping on their premises.
“There are currently ongoing efforts to reach out to all the affected landowners in this case, which has proven to be a challenge.”
Mashigo said that the city recently made headway in making contact with some of the owners.
“The city is optimistic that meaningful engagement will be held with the affected landowners shortly to craft a way forward in the matter.”
Despite this, Mashigo said that the metro has several initiatives to tackle the problem of illegal dumping.
In addition to the illegal dumping clearing programme, the city implements anti-illegal dumping education campaigns, such as the Re Kaofela campaign or the Adopt-a-Spot programme.
“All these are efforts by the city to discourage the illegal dumping of waste.”
The campaigns are implemented across the city, and Mashigo said they continue to be rolled out to reach out to all communities.
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