SEDIBENG.- According to Kingsol Chabalala, the DA’s Constituency Head of Emfuleni North and member of the provincial legislature, residents of Emfuleni have now resorted to disposing of their refuse at various illegal dumping sites because the municipality is failing to render refuse removal services on a regular basis which poses a health hazard.

” This was revealed by the Gauteng MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), Lebogang Maile in a written reply to the DA’s question tabled in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL). According to MEC Maile, 11 service providers have been appointed in the past five financial years to clean and clear the illegal dumping sites in Emfuleni.”

Chabalala said that the municipality has been spending an average of R73 920.00 per service provider per month for the past five financial years.

“The DA believes that this municipality is well capacitated to handle illegal dump removals instead of wasting money on appointing external service providers to do the work. This municipality continues to pay overtime to waste removal employees as R40 million have been spent in the last five financial years, yet there are service providers appointed to render the same services. The waste removal employees should be doing the work instead of milking this municipality while there is nothing to show for the work done. Recently, the municipality was offered a free service to clean dumping sites by a private company but refused to use it and opted instead to pay for the services,” said Chabalala.