‘CBD services at an all-time low’
Smaller plastic bags were subsequently placed along sidewalks with a promise to be emptied daily, from an otherwise weekly basis.
POLOKWANE – Service delivery in the CBD is at an all-time low while the cost of services is at an all-time high, and intervention is needed for the area to retain not only customers, but shopkeepers and business owners in the long run.
This is the view of several businesspeople leasing municipal buildings in the area Polokwane Observer spoke to in recent weeks.
Inconsistency in the supply of running water and refuse collection and the growing stench of produce cooked and or sold by street vendors are among the reasons customers move to better-functioning shopping centres, many remarked.
“More than anything, the municipality drags its feet in delivering the services we pay for,” many of them lamented in a written statement to Polokwane Observer.
Many of the buildings house small, medium and micro businesses including hair salons and boutiques predominantly leased by foreign nationals, fast-food and retail outlets. Street vendors ply their trade on the busy streets of Market, Excelsior, Church, Grobler, Hans van Rensburg and Landdros Maré, among others.
Those based near the parking area on the corner of Grobler and Biccard streets have for years shared a skip bin, until a municipal representative presented a written document informing them that the bin was “unsightly and would be removed for other purposes”, they said.
Smaller plastic bags were subsequently placed along sidewalks with a promise to be emptied daily, from an otherwise weekly basis.
According to municipal spokesperson Thipa Selala daily waste collection from skip bins, containers, refuse bags and wheelie bins is a morning routine executed by grab trucks and designated load luggers. While skip container bins are cleaned by grab trucks, the municipality employs roll-on and roll-off trucks for the larger containers, he mentioned.
“Businesses have been notified, referencing chapters two and three of the Polokwane Municipality Waste Management By-Law (Local Authority Notice 69 of 2019) dated May 31, 2019. Compliance requires waste placement by 07:30 daily, using securely fastened refuse bags. Businesses needing skip bins can apply and receive services at a cost,” he said.
Tenants, however, said they went weeks without refuse being collected on the sidewalks in December. According to Selala, some businesses dispose of waste at any time and disrupt scheduled waste collection. “The municipality combats this with a continuous waste education programme, issuing notices and fines. Operation #SwielaPolokwane promotes best waste management practices and compliance. Businesses are urged to adhere to guidelines, utilising properly fastened refuse bags, and placing them outside by 07:30. Those in need of skip bins can submit requests,” he said.
For business owners, this is little relief, as on top of their waste collection woes, some say water ran from taps at night regularly in recent weeks once supply has been restored after a delay, while “on regular occasions, municipal water tankers were mistakenly left open at night and once the water returns, shops were found flooded the next morning”, some Polokwane Observer spoke to, reported.
Selala said the municipality has a daily monitoring programme to ensure prompt repairs for any leaking municipal water tankers provided during water shortages.
