City disputes claims of neglect and bribery at dump

Menlo Park residents have once again raised concerns over the state of the local garden refuse site, insisting the facility has been neglected for years and has become a hotspot for illegal dumping and corruption.

However, the metro has disputed these claims, assuring residents the site is monitored and managed according to established rules.

Ward councillor Siobhan Muller visited the site over the weekend and spoke of disturbing findings.

“I was there Saturday and asked MMC [Obakeng] Ramabodu why there was all this old furniture at a garden refuse site,” said Muller.

She added that bribes are also being taken to allow people to dump there, which is not allowed.

Muller provided images supporting her claims.

According to her, an overloaded bakkie in front of her at the site paid a bribe.

“Dumping your garden refuse at the site is free and no resident should be charged.

“Other items are not allowed. So if the workers ask for money, they are asking for bribes,” said Muller.

She described the gates at the facility as being in disrepair and called for urgent attention.

“The gates need to be repaired or removed. New gates were built at the front of the road, but the ones at the entrance to the actual dump need to be repaired urgently.”

Muller said she has asked Ramabodu to act against the corruption and illegal dumping of furniture and appliances there.

Residents are equally concerned about this refuse site, with Ian Fuller, a regular user of the site, saying it is neglected and left unattended.

According to Fuller, there are four or five people there, but nobody does anything, and it is in an absolutely devastated condition.

“There are mountains and mountains of refuse. It is untidy. It degrades the entire area.

“The infrastructure is left unattended and unmaintained. The fences, gates, and walls – nothing is repaired. We shouldn’t be in this situation.”

Fuller said the problem had persisted for years and warned of potential health risks.

“It has been going on for three, four, five years. It might be a garden refuse area, but these people are doing absolutely nothing. It poses a health risk.”

Fuller added that this really points to comments made by President Cyril Ramaphosa recently, about municipalities not being run effectively.

The metro has disputed the claims of illegal dumping and corruption, with spokesperson Lindela Mashigo claiming the metro is not aware of illegal dumping of unauthorised waste material on site.

“The facility accepts garden waste material only,” said Mashigo.

He explained that all vehicles accessing the site are checked and inspected at the entrance to ensure only authorised waste material is dumped at the site.

“All sites have signboards depicting rules as well as acceptable waste material authorised on site.”

He said that no fees are charged for dumping garden refuse, adding that soliciting bribes from clients is prohibited and is a serious offence.

“All site users are advised to report incidents of bribery to management, providing names of workers and evidence for further investigation.”

Mashigo admitted that management has received reports of allegations of corruption and bribery, but to date, no sufficient evidence has been provided to institute disciplinary action.

On the state of the gates, he said the need to repair the damaged gates has been identified and forms part of their action plans, subject to budget approval.

“The MMC’s office for Environment and Agriculture Management oversees due diligence, oversight, and routine monitoring of operations, with any irregularity investigated accordingly,” said Mashigo.

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