VEREENIGING – There is a call for action in Rust Ter Vaal, where illegal dumping has become rampant. Frustrated residents say this is due to the lack of waste collection from the Emfuleni Local Municipality.
Recently, DA PR councillor Grace Damon took members of the media to various sites in the area that have become problematic to the public. Speaking to Ster North, Damon said that the escalating problem is rapidly becoming hazardous to nearby residents.
“We have attempted to conduct clean-up operations in the area, but as soon as we are done, people start dumping at the same spot.”
Damon states that in other instances, residents try to clean up by burning the refuse.
Concerned resident Esther de Kock said she is frustrated by the dumping site as it has become a place where unsavoury characters hang out.
Recently, Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) MEC Jacob Mamabolo, joined by SDM Executive Mayor Lerato Maloka and ELM Executive Mayor Sipho Radebe, attended an urgent meeting with senior managers from COGTA, DID, and Emfuleni to tackle waste collection challenges in the municipality.
During the meeting, MEC Mamabolo requested support from Mayor Radebe, MMCs, Organised labour, Municipal Manager April Ntuli, and his executive directors to unite behind a clean-up programme in the municipality.
Damon said she hopes the intervention will prove to be fruitful.
Previously, Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi called on the management ELM to do the groundwork to restore the dignity of the people. Lesufi advised the ELM to start by doing the small things, such as keeping the currently filthy town clean..
