Residents of Heuweloord are up in arms because their rubbish has not been collected for the past three weeks and some have even started to take matters into their own hands. According to residents, the problem of illegal dumping remains a continuous headache in Heuweloord and now residents who are still waiting to get their rubbish removed have created an illegal dumping site on the corner of Wildeperske and Koorsboom streets and also next to Apiesdoring Street and Rhodesian Teak Avenue.
One of the residents who lives close to Apiesdoring Street and Rhodesian Teak Avenue said the unbearable stench and flies tormented his family and neighbours. He said he did not blame the residents for creating an illegal dumping site, but rather blamed the Waste Management department for not doing their work.
“This is also a health hazard and we are very much concerned about our well-being in this area. I don’t know what we should do in order for our voices to be heard. This has been a challenging issue and we have tried several times to contact those who are responsible for collecting rubbish about this, but nothing has been done.”
Jacky Kekana from the Heuweloord Residents’ Association said they would just have to wait and see how long it would take the Tshwane metro to come and collect the rubbish. Contacted for comment, Ward 70 councillor, Marika Kruger Muller, said that waste removal was a very time-consuming process, as the Centurion dump sites have all been closed and the trucks must now drive to Mamelodi. “One must also take into consideration that the drivers must take small back roads to avoid the tollgates, taking more time on the road to and from the site.” She added that the new contractors did not know the area that well, and it seemed that numerous streets have been missed because of this.
