Metro to clean up Mountain View garden refuse site
Smidt said despite the metro’s plan to start cleaning the area, the residents will still suffer the long-term effects. "The damage has already been done, we already have to deal with rats, worms and cockroaches."
The Tshwane metro has committed to cleaning the rubbish that was dumped in front of the gate of the Mountain View garden refuse site in Japie Peens Street.
Residents who stay near the site raised their frustration about the lack of communication from the metro regarding closure of the site a week ago.
MMC Dana Wannenburg said the delay in services was caused by the so-called yellow plant tender which was not finalised.
The R4-billion tender was focused on the corporate hire of general construction vehicles, yellow plant equipment, refuse removal vehicles, specialised equipment and machines for the metro.
“The main tender expired in the first week of August. We have been struggling with contractors, appointment letters and other different things. This yellow plant problem was affecting the whole city.
“On Tuesday we got an appointment letter from the city manager so things should start being in place from Wednesday. We will start cleaning the ones that have a huge backlog but from Friday to Monday, everything will be cleaned up.”
A resident who stays near the refuse site, Charlotte Smidt said it was a terrible idea for the municipality to build the facility near their houses.
“I have been living in the area for 40 years but I cannot recall the municipality asking us to build this place here, this was a really bad idea. It was a bad idea to put this place in the middle of the houses.
“You can imagine how it is like for people to just come and dump rubbish and building materials in front of your gate, we sit with a bad smell. We have old people living here who are on oxygen who are also affected.”
Smidt said it was frustrating that the metro knew in advance about the contract’s expiration but made no alternative plans for residents to dump their refuse.
“They know in advance when the contracts will end but they never provide an alternative. You just wake up in the morning and you wonder what’s going on because no one is told anything.”
Smidt said despite the metro’s plan to start cleaning the area, the residents will still suffer the long-term effects.
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“The damage has already been done, we already have to deal with rats, worms and cockroaches that are coming to our houses. We also have wild cats and other wild animals coming into the area because they smell the food and whatever else that is being dumped.
“On top of that we have people coming in our area making an excuse that they are looking for food or scraps but what they are actually doing is to spy on the houses of the residents.”
Councillor of the area Elmarie Linde said what also made the problem worse was small business owners of garden services and residents who decided to dump their rubbish in front of the dumpsite.
“This is absolutely illegal, you are not allowed to just dump your stuff anywhere. There are other sites, other paying sites that people can use. We also do understand the frustration of finding the gates closed in the dumpsite.”
Linde apologised to residents for the inconvenience caused.
“I would most like to apologise to the residents who had to pick up some of the rubbish that was put in front of their properties.”
She said the metro would be cleaning all the refuse sites that were affected by this from Wednesday.
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