Business owners fed up with illegal fires
The owners of a family business in the Benoni CBD are up in arms because of constant fires close to their premises.
Business owner Charmaine, who wished only to have her first name used, alleged that community members have been making fires to extract copper from goods bought at a nearby scrap yard.
Charmaine owns the business with her husband.
“The fires are right next to an electricity box,” she said, explaining she is afraid it might explode.
She said not only is it dangerous, but she also worries about what will happen if their business is left without electricity.
“A truck ran into the box a few years ago and we were left without electricity for weeks,” she said.
Charmaine said the nearby Verkenner Primary School is across the street and right next to the fires.
“They take the school’s rubbish to make the fire larger to extract what is needed and when that is not enough, they run down the street to get more rubbish,” she claims.
The company’s receptionist, Michelle, who also wished to retain her surname, said the fires have been going for more than a year.
Another company employee named Darryl said they first sent an email to ask assistance from the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality on September 7.
They received a response from the municipal environmental health practitioner Mandla Mashinini stating that their complaint has been acknowledged and an “investigation will be done and feedback [will be] provided in due course.”
Darryl notified Mashinini on October 16 that the situation is getting worse and suggested a cleaning crew to clean the street.
He wrote that “our business is constantly full of papers, the gutters, pavements and roads look terrible”.
Mashinini then informed him on October 17 that he intends to submit a memorandum to the Solid Waste Department manager to officially request a clean-up.
He also wrote “in the same memorandum the EMPD will be requested to assist with addressing the people who burn the waste”.
After Darryl sent pictures of the daily ordeal, Mashinini said he “sent a formal memorandum to request for assistance in the matter but to date there had been no response from the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department” on November 10.
Darryl sent an email to Ward 73 Clr Sinethemba Matiwane on September 7.
Matiwane told the City Times he did not receive an email.
After the City Times provided him with the email as sent by Darryl, he said he will “forward the complaint to the Benoni Customer Care Manager Vusi Mbede and Thulani Mdaka as this is an operational matter” and he explained they will contact departments responsible to deal with the matter.
Charmaine recorded what looked like two municipal workers at the site on November 21. In the video they are seen haphazardly cleaning the rubble but Charmaine believes they are too lazy to pick up the rubble but burn it in existing fire instead.
According to the by-laws on the regulation of parks and open spaces, item five subsection four, “no person shall light any fire, except at braai facilities, or burn or do any act which might cause any timber, brushwood, plant, paper, rubbish or other substance to burn”.
The EMM did not respond to questions by the time of publication.
Also read:
Bunny Park readies for its facelift
UPDATE: We don’t have money to continue Bunny Park sterilisations – metro
Follow us on these platforms:
Like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter.
For news straight to your phone invite us:
WhatsApp: 079 431 1217
Instagram: benonicitytimes.co.za
