Rubble trucks to be barred from east location

Several rubble removal trucks unlawfully parked on the corner of Solomon Mahlangu Drive and Lynnwood Road will soon be permanently barred from area.

The trucks were parked at the same corner where Tshwane metro police performed raids last week Thursday and Friday, to close down a makeshift welding and wood sculpting plant and confiscated hundreds of works.

Litter, constant hammering noise and choking smoke from the fires led to complaints from nearby residential areas. But the corner also had an issue with “dozens of unidentified rubble removal trucks parking on the spot”.

“I also have photos of these truck drivers just showing up and dumping rubble,” said ward 85 councillor Jacqui Uys.

“When they do this, it’s illegal dumping and therefore becomes the city council’s responsibility to remove this rubble.” said Uys.

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The ward has come with a simple but effective plan to permanently solve the problem.

“We are going to place cement bollards around the curb to make sure the trucks can’t park on the roadside anymore.”

One of the truck drivers who asked to remain anonymous said they were being harassed by TMPD but had nowhere to go.

“We sleep in our trucks, eat in our trucks, we park here to advertise them to motorists who might need to remove rubble…If they remove us from here how must we market ourselves?”

Uys said the main problem with the trucks was illegal dumping.

“There are nearby landfill sites where the trucks can legally dispose of their rubble. But because they want to take shortcuts they just dump rubble anywhere in Equestria.

“We have had cases where the municipality cleans up their waste, and within 24 hours we find rubble illegally dumped on the same spot again,” Uys said.

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“The drivers use the corner as a park and dump location, which is why the city has committed to placing cement bollards there. There was also illegal gambling happening on the corner but we have since removed the gamblers and they’ve never returned.

“The bollards will be placed here within the next two weeks as part of the city’s resolve to clean up this problem corner so it won’t be such a painful eyesore to residents anymore,” said Uys.

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