Medical waste dumped on east locals’ doorstep
“What would happen if one of the children swallows the pills? Maybe one of them already has. A person could lose his/her life.”
The Mamelodi Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) has been left fuming and disgusted at a company that recently dumped unknown pills and medicines on vacant land in Nellmapius.
The items were allegedly dumped in Nellmapius extension 1 on an illegal dumping site next to Eerste Fabrieken Crescent last week Thursday.
This came to parents’ attention when they noticed children in the area playing with what appeared to be medical items.
Chairperson of TAC Bobby Mohane said this was disgusting behaviour and a clear demonstration that between Tshwane waste management and health department, someone was not doing their job.
“We have started with the investigations and we are going to target a nearby health facility to find out who is responsible for this waste disposal,” said Mohane.
“According to the information we have gathered an unmarked bakkie was seen dumping medication, but the residents were not able to take the registration number of the vehicle,” Mohane said.
He added that someone needed to be held accountable.
“We won’t rest until we find the culprit.
“The medication was dumped during the school holidays and the children are home playing all over.”
Mohane advised parents who suspected that their children might have taken some of the medication to take them to the nearest health facility for check-ups.
Nellmapius community leader Augustine Daniels said it was about time that the Tshwane metro did “something” about the illegal dumping site.
“This came to our attention when we noticed children in the area playing with unknown medicines and some parts of Eerste Frabrieken Crescent was lined up with a white, crushed substance,” said Daniels.
“Upon investigation, we found a pile of medication dumped on a vacant land that has been turned into an illegal dumping site.
“This dumping site started around last September when we noticed a lot of companies dumping waste in the area,” said Daniels.
“We have complained before about the illegal dumping and today, the site is putting our children’s lives in danger.
He added that the stench coming from the illegal dumping site was bad and putting the health of those nearby in danger, especially for residents next to Eerste Fabrieken Crescent.
“Most of the pills looked like chronic disease medication when we researched them, and others looked like antibiotics, though this has not been confirmed,” he said.
Patriotic Alliance Tshwane party spokesperson Virginia Klopper said: “Are they trying to kill our children by dumping dangerous medication near our houses?
“What would happen if one of the children swallowed the pills? Maybe one of them already has. A person could lose their life.”
Tshwane metro spokesperson Lindela Mashigo said the city received a complaint regarding the illegal dumping site and immediately dispatched a team comprising of the waste management and environmental management inspectors to remove the illegally dumped waste.
“The inspectors observed small quantities of pills that are believed to have been dumped by a member of the public, possibly from his/her medicine cabinet. Waste management team picked the pills and handed them to the inspectors who took them to the Nellmapius clinic for proper disposal,” said Mashigo.
“As part of the city’s anti-illegal dumping programme, identified Illegal dumping hotspots are cleaned regularly, to keep areas prone to illegal dumping clear of dumped waste,” said Mashigo.
“In addition, various multi-stakeholder clean-up campaigns are conducted to raise awareness and to educate communities on the harm of illegal dumping of waste,”
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