Uncollected refuse dents small business

Interrupted refuse removal is not only a frustration for residents, it also poses a risk to companies, with one small-business owner in Empangeni finding his profit margin impacted.

While the City of uMhlathuze has assured it will return to the normal schedule for refuse collection in the coming months, Fred Strydom of MKS Centre says his business is already struggling.

His company provides bin washing services for residents in Ngwelezana, Dumisani Makhaye Village and Empangeni, but with refuse not being collected, he cannot provide the service on time.

“This is costly to the business. I lose petrol and time when travelling to a destination only to find the bins were not emptied, and return to the same situation again. I have lost up to 50% profit,” said Strydom.

He added that some of his clients were pensioners living with children, and uncollected refuse bins pose health risks to them in the long run.

City Mayor Xolani Ngwezi cited regular breakdowns of the refuse fleet as the cause. He said such challenges would be reduced before the end of March, and completely eradicated before the end of June.

“While I understand our fleet has aged, there should be a plan moving forward so the City of uMhlathuze doesn’t find itself in a situation where there are daily apologies instead of service delivery,” said Ngwezi.

He asked residents to be patient with the city and to report any suspicious activities about employees.

Such issues can be reported to 0800 000483.

Don’t have the ZO app? Download it to your Android or Apple device here:

HAVE YOUR SAY