The FF Plus has made an urgent request to the Gauteng MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), Lebogang Maile, to intervene in the garbage disposal crisis in the Ekurhuleni Metro Council.
Garbage disposal in the Ekurhuleni Metro Council (Kempton Park, Benoni, Boksburg, Brakpan, Springs, Edenvale, Germiston, Nigel, Alberton and surrounding areas) has basically been brought to a standstill because the Metro Council failed to pay service providers and to renew tenders in time.
In some areas in the Metro, garbage disposal is backlogged with two weeks.
Of the five dumping sites that belong to the Metro, only the Platkop dumping site near Heidelberg is in use. Every single day, there are approximately 50 garbage trucks that sometimes have to wait for hours on end to dump their load.
There are various reasons for why the other dumping sites are not in use.
• Weltevreden : Strike by security guards
• Rietfontein : Service provider’s tender was not renewed
• Rooikraal : Service provider’s tender was not renewed
• Simmer and Jack : In September 2020, there was a fire and since then the dumping site has remained closed.
The Chloorkop dumping site in Tembisa that the Metro also used, but does not own, closed its gates due to non-payment.
The FF Plus will not allow the towns and cities in Ekurhuleni to keep degrading into massive dumping sites due to the Metro Council’s incompetence.
Garbage heaps are a fertile breeding ground for rat and mouse plagues and pose a serious health risk as well. Illegal garbage dumping is also on the rise.
This is further proof that the ANC-controlled Metro Council is not serious about providing proper service delivery to its residents.
Later this year, the local government elections will offer residents the perfect opportunity to replace the incompetent Metro Council with one that puts their interests first.
Read the original article in Afrikaans by Jennifer Glover on FF Plus
