Pretoria east residents’ frustration is mounting over the ongoing deterioration of the Garstkloof Landfill Site and adjacent Erf 595 property, with the CPF claiming repeated petitions and appeals to the Tshwane metro have yielded little progress.

A petition signed by more than 3 000 residents earlier this year called for urgent intervention at the decommissioned landfill site, which residents allege has become a hotspot for illegal squatting, crime, pollution and environmental degradation.

At the time, metro spokesperson Lindela Mashigo said the metro had launched an expression-of-interest process inviting stakeholders to submit redevelopment proposals for several closed landfill sites, including Garstkloof.

However, residents and members of the LS4 Community Policing Forum (CPF) say months later, conditions on the ground remain unchanged.

Elardus Park resident and LS4 CPF executive member Shawn Fouché said the community has repeatedly raised concerns over increasing criminal activity and illegal occupation linked to the landfill site and neighbouring municipal land.

“The petition has been submitted multiple times with a separate document containing the signatures, yet to date we have had absolutely no response,” said Fouché.

According to Fouché, the former school grounds on Erf 595 are now being used as an informal recycling area while vagrants continue occupying parts of both the property and landfill site.

She said residents are deeply concerned about escalating health and safety risks.

“Illegal squatting on city-owned land has led to increased criminal activities and unchecked waste dumping, severely affecting our quality of life,” she said.

Fouché warned that the landfill site is not fit for human habitation and said that conditions there pose serious environmental, sanitation and public safety concerns for both occupants and nearby communities.

She also appealed to residents to support registered shelters, outreach programmes and rehabilitation organisations instead of handing out food, money or goods directly to homeless individuals occupying the landfill site.

“Providing handouts on the streets often unintentionally enables vulnerable individuals to remain in unsafe and dangerous environments, including illegal squatter areas and the Garstkloof landfill site,” she said.

She further claimed that criminal elements are exploiting vulnerable homeless individuals and that the area has become increasingly associated with illegal dumping, theft and other criminal activity.

Fouché is again calling on the metro to urgently secure the landfill site and Erf 595, strengthen security at the property, remove waste accumulation and implement rehabilitation plans previously discussed by the metro.

She said the community remains committed to holding the municipality accountable until visible intervention takes place.

“Our community deserves better. We demand urgent action from the City of Tshwane,” she said.

The metro did not respond at the time of publication.

ALSO READ: Tshwane landfill sites under scrutiny after oversight visit

Do you have more information about the story?

Please send us an email to bennittb@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.

For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites: Rekord East

For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram or TikTok or WhatsApp Channel