Illegal dump site now a health hazard for nearby school
“Most people don’t care about this dumpsite because it does not affect them, but the same cannot be said about us. This dump is literally on our doorstep and the smell is unbearable.”
An illegal dumping site is becoming a health hazard for the learners at Phatudi Secondary School in Saulsville near Atteridgeville.
The school principal, Willie Mkhwanazi, said the dumping started last year after municipal waste collectors were on strike.
“The dumping is alongside the school gate leading up to the main road,” said Mkhwanazi.
“Most people don’t care about this dumpsite because it does not affect them, but the same cannot be said about us. This dump is literally on our doorstep and the smell is unbearable.”
He added that most of the dumping took place at night and that the ongoing dumping was a cause for concern and was not good for the school environment.
Mkhwanazi highlighted that luckily no learner at the school has been injured or fallen ill as yet from the dumping site.
“Waste collectors need to stick to their collection schedules to avoid the site from becoming a bigger dump. We have since put up a sign to show no dumping but many disregard the sign of over health conditions of the pupils and continue to dump,” said Mkhwanazi.
The area’s ward councillor, Victor Rambaul, said the dumping was done by community members in the area.
“You clean it up today, tomorrow the dumping starts again. Ordinary pieces of paper and trash, which can be thrown into the dustbin, are thrown at the site,” said Rambaul.
He added that a month ago community members and several non-profit organisations conducted an operation to clean up the dumping site, but several community members continued to dump at the site after it has been cleaned.
“In February, we had a meeting with community members where we discouraged them from dumping at the site but the problem seems to be increasing instead,” said Rambaul.
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He added that the Saulsville cemetery has also become a dumping site and that parts of the fence surrounding the cemetery have been stolen.
The Tshwane metro spokesperson Sipho Stuurman said they were aware of most illegal dumping spots in the metro.
This particular site formed part of the City’s Tswelepeople clean-up campaign, a mayoral-driven initiative that encouraged communities and businesses to take charge of their natural environment.
“We cleaned the spot up only for the residents to dump again illegally immediately after clearing it,” said Stuurman.
He added that the metro would look at rehabilitating the site.
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