Wierda dump site cleared

A major clean-up effort by the provincial government, the Tshwane metro and others saw the dump site removed and recyclers relocated last week Monday.

Ward councillor Cindy Bilson said she was happy with how it all went.

“The recyclers are now gone and we cleaned that whole area up.

“It has been a long road to get to this point as we had to get the provincial government on board to help us.

“It was a joint effort and I’m very proud of how hard everyone worked,” said Bilson.

One of the most worrying aspects of the dump was the illegal squatting in the area.

According to Bilson, around 20 people were illegally squatting on the piece of land which started to concern many residents living in the surrounding areas.

Resident Christo Bothma said he and many others feared the illegal squatting was causing a crime problem.

“It was becoming a squatter camp, which made a lot of people uncomfortable as they were very close to where many residents were living.

“We have a strong reason to believe that some of them living there are the ones responsible for all the cable theft in our area,” Bothma said.

“One day as I was driving past there, I saw a drug deal going down in broad daylight.

“I’m glad something was done,” he said.

The majority of those making use of the dump, however, were recyclers who were using the area to do their sorting.

Bilson said this was a result of Centurion’s lack of recycling centres and is a systemic issue that needs addressing.

“There are only four recycling spots in the whole of Centurion, which is not enough for a city of this size.

“More needs to be done to avoid these types of situations from occurring,” she said.

Many feared that the dump also posed an environmental hazard.

The Hennops River, which already suffers from a huge amount of pollution, received the brunt of the dumping which took place there.

Tarryn Johnston, of the Hennops Revival NPO, feels that Centurion residents should respect their environment, especially when it comes to the river.

“At the end of the day, we all share the same water.

“The river is already under a lot of pressure, and we are trying our best to preserve it, but we must all work together to make sure that we don’t just throw our litter into the river,” she said.

Resident Jaco van Zyl is glad about how the operation went, but feels a more permanent solution is needed.

“The dump was a real eye-sore for the community. It posed a real problem for the environment as well, so I’m glad it’s gone for now.

“At the end of the day, Centurion however needs a formal dumping site for these people to do their sorting in.

“It doesn’t help that you simply remove them because the problem will just pop up elsewhere and become someone else’s problem – we need a more permanent solution,” said Van Zyl.

According to Bilson, the recyclers were relocated to an area in Sutherland Ridge.

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