Conflict arises over dumping at town hall

There are conflicting views regarding the dumping of refuse in front of the Uvongo Town Hall amid the Ray Nkonyeni Municipality labour strike that has halted service delivery.

During a Uvongo Ratepayers’ Association meeting on Tuesday last week, it was shared that residents dump their uncollected refuse at the Uvongo Town Hall, leaving the area stinking and visually unpleasant.

Uvongo Ratepayers’ Association chairperson Hardus Coetzee said: ‘making your refuse somebody else’s problem is disgraceful behaviour’.

“A town hall should be a symbol of pride for every community. Turning the area into a dumping site is unacceptable and disheartening to those involved in our civic pride movement. Shame on those who disrespect this and disrespect our public spaces. Thanks to Scott Kvalsvig’s farm truck and dedicated beach clean-team volunteers. Tidy Towns has been able to remove innumerable truckloads of dumped refuse since several areas have been indiscriminately turned into dump sites without consideration for environmentally sensitive areas or holiday letting areas,” said a concerned resident.

During the ratepayers meeting, a Tidy Towns representative said their volunteers recently assisted in loading a RNM refuse truck at the Uvongo Town Hall parking area, where a mountain of bags was cleared. The team then went to Margate and cleared the Extension 2 area around Hibiscus Village before moving on to the zone around the Margate Sports School and Ramsgate Retirement Village.

It was also brought to light that the newly established Black Bag Action Group was adding to the illegal dumping problem.

The founders of the Black Bag Action Group said while Tidy Towns focused on cleaning critical tourist hubs and swimming beaches, they have been tackling waste management across the inland areas of Ward 19.

“We are clearing illegal dumps, removing household refuse and maintaining residential spaces. We can achieve much more if we work together, pooling our resources and efforts. We urge everyone to shift the focus from self-gratification for small wins to a collective vision of a cleaner, healthier community. By supporting each other’s initiatives, coordinating efforts, and using funds wisely, we can maximise the value of every rand spent and achieve lasting change. After all, it’s not about who does it but about what we achieve as a united community,” said the group.

Meanwhile, Gerhard van der Merwe of the Uvongo Ratepayers’ Association encouraged residents not to fight with each other but to fight the problem caused by RNM workers’ strike.

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