The DA in Standerton released a media statement on December 2, calling on the acting municipal manager, Mthembeni Jiyane, to urgently repair Lekwa’s fleet of refuse trucks.

According to Alberto Franco, Ward 8 Councillor, there is only one operational truck left to service the areas of Standerton, Morgenzon, Sakhile and Thuthukani.

The municipality currently owns six refuse collection trucks, five of which are out of service.

“The municipality has neglected to maintain and service it’s refuse trucks and as a result, will soon be forced to hire private contractors to carry out waste removal,” stated Franco.

He explained that this service will carry high costs and is avoidable.

A notice issued by the municipality on November 25 confirms that the Kosmos Park, Flora Park, Standerton, Meyerville, Sakhile Extension 2 and 3 and Morgenzon areas will no longer enjoy the benefit of refuse collection due to the broken fleet.

The notice states that residents are required to keep their refuse on their premises until further notice.

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“This is a direct consequence of poor planning, inadequate preventative maintenance and the ongoing mismanagement of critical service delivery,” stated Franco.

Currently, residents have no choice but to hire private companies to collect their waste on the municipality’s behalf, which increases their financial burden.

This situation has also contributed to illegal dumping and pollution of Standerton.

Franco took this chance to hit back, stating that residents should not have to bear the consequences of avoidable administrative failures.

“The municipality is once again failing in its responsibility of servicing communities sustainably,” said Franco.

According to Franco, this failure to deliver services shows that the municipality’s Technical Service Department has failed in its mandate to provide technical support and expertise to enable service delivery.

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