A council resolution dating back to February 28, 2017 regarding the landfill site in Morgenzon, raised some eyebrows.
The then mayor Linda Dlamini’s report about the closure was noted, and all household waste collected was to be transported to the Standerton landfill site.
Cost-wise a figure for the closure was estimated at R5,8mil and an amount of R4,9mil budgeted to establish a transfer station in Morgenzon.
The cost of a new landfill site was estimated at R7.8mil.
The Department of Development and Planning was to be requested to identify land for a transfer station and tenders were to be invited for a service provider to begin the decommissioning of Morgenzon’s landfill site.
The above was to be done as a matter of urgency.
The Gert Sibande District Municipality furthermore was requested to intervene and ensure that it became part of the 2017/2018 IDP-budget.
According to the mayor’s report of November 2016, the Department of Environmental Affairs had identified the Morgenzon site as one of 25 in Mpumalanga that had to close down.
A deadline was given to the service provider.
The department made it clear that they would not be responsible for the closure cost, nor provide funds for a transfer station, or new site.
The Standerton Advertiser went to the landfill site in the beginning of July and found the entrance and a few meters along the road in reasonable shape.
According to the workers, refuse trucks arrive daily.
They could however, not confirm on which days the Morgenzon rubbish is dumped.
Lekwa’s refuse trucks have to travel 50,2km via the R39 and back to dump refuse at the dumping site on the Secunda Road.
The newspaper published an article in August last year about Mpumalanga’s landfill sites.
AfriForum sent information about their audit of 153 landfill sites across South Africa that year as part of the organisation’s national project to measure the quality of landfill sites in South Africa.
Only one out of 21 landfill sites that was audited in Mpumalanga, complied with national standards.
AfriForum then said all landfill sites must comply with specific requirements in terms of applicable legislation and regulations, including the National Environmental Management: Waste Act 59 of 2008.
The audit was done from 2015 to 2021 and the percentages for Lekwa, as regards compliance, were respectively 24%, 32%, 25%, 14%, 0%, 18 % and 18%.
According to AfriForum, municipal deterioration was rampant and it was noticeable that especially smaller municipalities were subject to large-scale mismanagement.
Wilma Venter, Freedom Front Plus-councillor for Ward 10, expressed concern on Thursday, June 30 about the expenses incurred to have refuse trucks travelling from Standerton to Morgenzon and back.
“One has to take into account that the municipality is already under financial pressure with the high petrol and diesel prices,” Venter added.
“It is not cost-effective nor time-effective.”
Venter referred to the council resolution of 2017 to open a new landfill site in Morgenzon and said action is needed.
According to the councillor, the community’s illegal dumping has a negative impact on the environment.
She concluded by saying the dumping takes place next to a provincial road which poses a risk to locals and road users.
“The criminal element can not be ignored either as incidents have been reported of motorists being stopped.”
The Standerton Advertiser sent a WhatsApp-message on Friday, July 1 to Thando Nkosi from the communications department of the municipality,
Comment was requested on the fact that a new landfill site in Morgenzon is not yet operational.
Readers will be updated on the reply.
