Municipality fails to remove refuse in eMbalenhle

People dump uncollected refuse in storm water channels.

November 12, 2024

Mphikeleli Masangu 1 minute read

Residents of White City section in eMbalenhle are now dumping their non-collected refuse in the storm water channels in their area.

Residents of White City in eMbalenhle are now dumping their non-collected refuse in the stormwater channel. These residents accuse Govan Mbeki Municipality (GMM) of failing to collect their refuse for months.

They said they called the municipal official responsible for waste collection, but he told the community they had no trucks.

The residents say they always see refuse removal trucks passing their area, even after hearing the municipality had no trucks available.

Thulani Mahlangu, a concerned resident, said they cannot keep refuse in their yards and had no choice but to find an alternative place to dump it.

“What is amazing about our municipality is although they fail to collect refuse, they still charge us for it. That is daylight robbery,” said Mahlangu.

“We know the importance of our stormwater drains, but the municipality also does not maintain it. We are putting pressure on them to maintain it.

“Those stormwater drains are full of sewage because our municipality also fails to unblock the manholes which overflow into our homes and streets.

“This is the poor service delivery we get from the municipality.”

According to Mahlangu, the official responsible for refuse removal told them to do whatever they liked when they asked him when the refuse removal truck would be available to collect refuse.

eMbalenhle residents resort to dumping their refuse in the storm water channels.

Donald Green, spokesperson for GMM, said the municipality apologised to the community of eMbalenhle for failure to remove their refuse over the past weeks.

It has caused an enormous backlog because of multiple breakdowns and slow repairs experienced at the municipality. Green said the municipality was working around the clock to address the backlog with a limited fleet of trucks.

“As soon as they cleared the backlog, the municipality will resume with scheduled removals,” said Green.

“The refuse does not belong to the municipality. Residents are responsible for keeping uncollected refuse in their yards until it gets collected. In terms of service standards, the municipality can collect refuse up to four times a month,” said Green.