Bethal dumping site is still closed

BETHAL – The dumping site in Bethal has been closed since 1 March.

According to Ms Marietjie Fourie, DA councillor, the service provider closed the dumping site because of non-payment.

Only one truck has been available to remove refuse in Bethal for several weeks, but it was involved in an accident over the weekend.

Ms Fourie submitted a special motion to Govan Mbeki Municipality on 27 February regarding the refuse removal situation.

In this motion, she requested the municipality to provide and implement a recovery plan to collect the backlog of waste and clean the litter and to process refunds for the areas where waste was not removed.

This motion will serve at the next ordinary council meeting later this month.

The dumping site was still closed on 5 March and only Ext 3, 4 and 5 were serviced. The municipality lacked personnel on 6 March and once again only parts of Bethal were serviced.

Only the CBD and businesses’ refuse was removed on 7 March, because the municipal truck had a hydraulic oil problem.

According to Ms Fourie, a TLB would have re-opened the dumping site on 12 March, but by midday, residents called the newspaper to say that the dumping sited was still closed.

Some residents were talking of dumping their refuse at the municipal offices in Bethal.

The newspaper asked the municipal manager of the municipality, Mr Thisha Mhlanga, for comment on Monday, 12 March, but he did not respond at the time of going to press.

The newspaper wanted to know what had happened to the truck that was involved in the accident, how refuse would be removed, why the dumping site is closed and what plans are being made by the municipality to re-open it, and what people must do with their refuse.

Watch previous complaints: [WATCH] Current situation at Bethal dumping site (November 9, 2017)