Ward 81 councillor Mokgadi Radebe has appealed for the strengthening of illegal dumping bylaws in Alex and citywide.
Radebe’s ward, which includes parts of Alex, Riverpark and Lombardy East, has been affected for years, especially along the Jukskei River bank.
The city council accuses unscrupulous building contractors of dumping their rubble in the Alex area because of the lax enforcement of anti-dumping bylaws. It is also alleged that some Alex residents charge dumpers a fee to use council land.
Radebe said the implementation of bylaws alone won’t eradicate illegal dumping, as some of it was done at night and in the early morning.
“The public needs to help council by alerting law enforcement whenever they observe such acts happening,” she said.
“Usually it takes time to offload a full truck, and by that time law enforcement agents should have arrived to apprehend the perpetrators. Public vigilance working alongside police is necessary.”
Radebe added that the development of housing at previous illegal dump sites partly addressed the problem, but dumpers always found new ones.
