Challenges regarding dumping issues remain an endless headache for many garden service owners. Time after time members of the public complain about being refused permission to dump their loads and some, like Elize van Zyl, claim they were physically assaulted for dumping at the Lyttelton mini dump site recently.
What makes matters worse, the police did not want to open a case citing they did not want to get involved, according to Van Zyl.
Talking to Rekord, Van Zyl, who is a garden service owner, said she went to the mini dump site as she normally did to dump refuse but when she got there one of the workers at the site tried to stop her from doing so.
“We render a garden service, we went there to dump refuse like always. They tried to stop us and said no garden service or Hyundai or Kia bakkies were allowed. While my husband was busy trying to phone the garden service committee, I started dumping. One of the municipal workers pushed me around and said I am not allowed to dump and while I was busy offloading the refuse he picked up branches and threw them at me,” explained Van Zyl.
She further said she was then accompanied by one of the community members to the police station to open a case of assault against the worker but the police were not prepared to assist her, instead they told her they could not get involved.
“My husband has heart problems and he had to be treated after this unfortunate incident. Even though I managed to get away without bruises, what that worker did was unacceptable.”
An inquiry has been sent to the Tshwane metro but at the time of going to print no response has been received.
A meeting has been scheduled by Garden Service United at Hoërskool Zwartkop on 28 June at 11:00 in the school hall to establish a new committee that will handle all garden services interests and also encourage garden service owners to join up.
For information, contact Magda Smit on 082-757-9534 or Hendrik van den Bergh on 083-258-5178.
The police has not comment on the matter yet.
