Strike leads to increase in illegal dumping

A man was stopped in his tracks from dumping a bakkie load of rotten potatoes into the river in Lions Grove last Saturday.

A resident caught the man, believed to be an informal trader, on the river bridge of Sastri and Indria roads.

Illegal dumping has lately become the norm along most parts of the South Coast. Marburg, Lions Grove, Umbango and Merlewood have been poisoned by waste, and more so due to the six week long municipal strike.

These eyesore sites are causing a health hazard and environmental harm. Despite efforts to shame perpetrators on social media and impose fines, the problem persists.

A resident said: “The driver of a bakkie had already dumped some of the rotten potatoes onto the road and the river but stopped when I approached him. I notified security, but he fled before they arrived. He was also driving a bakkie with an expired license disk. This illegal dumping is due to the current municipal strike. Marburg and Lions Grove are now becoming an Oatlands dump site for many,” said the resident.

A resident of Sea View Road in Lions Grove found a boat dumped on the district road. Morgan Naidoo of the Umbango River Conservancy said the boat served its purpose, and the owner saw it fit to find a quiet area in Lions Grove to dump it. “We want to warn everyone who is illegally dumping that you are being watched and will be charged,” said Morgan.

“Illegal dumping is becoming the norm in South Africa. As humans, we fail to realise that we only have one environment. In the animal kingdom, animals don’t live like us, but we are the most evolved and litter like no other, ” said one resident.

Overall, residents have noticed an increase in dumping along Lions Grove. “We have reported it to Ray Nkonyeni Municipality numerous times, but they have failed us.”

Ray Nkonyeni Municipality was asked for comment, but none was received before going to press.

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