Welcome to eMalahleni – South Africa’s largest unofficial landfill.

Refuse collection services across the municipality have reached a state of total collapse.

Despite households and businesses consistently paying their municipal rates, the promised service remains nonexistent, leaving taxpayers to wonder where their money is going as the logistical failure deepens.

The lack of communication from the municipality has forced desperate residents to take matters into their own hands, often with damaging consequences.

In many areas, ‘back-door’ solutions have become the norm, with trash being dumped along open fields and quiet roadsides.

The entire municipality is a trashcan

In Ward 25, PR Clr Conrad Conradie reported residents have begun burning their garbage to escape the unbearable stench and insect infestations.

In Ward 20, Clr Maureen Scheepers noted that refuse is now collected only once every two weeks at best, while estates on Gordon Road have been neglected for three weeks.

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The frustration is compounded by ‘phantom’ schedules; Extension 10 was listed for daily collection for an entire week, yet not a single truck arrived.

Similarly, Clr Kim Fourie confirmed that Ward 33 is facing a massive backlog, with Extensions 41 and 8 left entirely un-serviced last week.

The crisis is taking a heavy toll on the city’s most vulnerable residents

Clr Antoni Brits of Ward 22 highlighted that Extension 5, home to the Moths Retirement Village and several other elderly care facilities, went three weeks without collection.

These senior citizens are being forced to clean their own sidewalks and navigate serious health hazards as waste piles up outside their doors.

In Ward 18, the situation is even more dire, with Clr Salomi Kriel reporting that her area has been systematically neglected for over five weeks.

While the Municipal Manager has reportedly begun addressing the teams involved, councillors maintain that talk is no longer enough.

The ward councillors stated that the municipal manager, the director of Environmental and Waste Management, and senior leadership must be held strictly accountable for the deteriorating state of the city.

This lack of direction from the municipality is turning a sanitation crisis into an environmental and public health disaster.

The municipality was asked to comment, but no feedback was received.

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