RESIDENTS of north beach and board members of buildings in Isaac Nathaniel Crescent, who have been trying to sort out crime and grime in the area, recently noticed that the vacant property across from the former Star Seaside Children’s Home is being used as a dump site.
Residents say they feel this is not only unsightly but also unhygienic.
Rookaya Vawda, who has been in contact with various municipal departments since October regarding the matter, said residents of one of the blocks of flats have been complaining about rats and insects as a result of the dump. Vagrants also rummage through the rubbish, which has been dumped in skips, emptying bags onto the ground.
“The beach front is a tourist destination. At this time of the year when people flock to our beachfront, something needs to be done about it urgently,” she said.
ALSO READ: North beach social housing project stirs up concerns
Residents of Solace Place, Zeenat Limalia and Fawzia Mahomed, said they expected the municipality to clean up this mess.
“This is totally unhygienic and a hazard to the environment,” said Mahomed.
In response to queries by Berea Mail, eThekwini Head of Communications, Tozi Mthethwa, said: “eThekwini Municipality has a dedicated team of staff members who strive to provide superior service to all City residents. Service delivery remains our key priority. The City was not aware of the matter and we thank you for bringing the matter to our attention. This will be investigated, and the transgressors will be served with contravention notices. Residents have no excuse for dumping illegally. eThekwini Municipality has a number of landfill sites that can be used by residents for dumping.”
She said the City also has several illegal dumping prevention strategies that have been put in place. Police patrols are sensitised to take action when members of the public are found to be dumping and fines of R5 000 have been issued to offenders.
“The City provides a weekly refuse removal service to 945 000 households in formal and informal areas. We even distribute and collect recyclable material from households with the orange bag system that we have implemented to encourage home owners to recycle. There are numerous recycling centres throughout the metro as well, and at shopping centres. There really is no reason for so much recyclable waste to end up on our streets,” said Mthethwa.
She said last year the City implemented nine new by-laws that are aimed at dealing with various offences. Among these by-laws is the Nuisances and Behaviour in Public Places By-law under which littering is prohibited.
ALSO READ: Metro police slack in enforcing nuisance bylaws, claims councillor
“Enforcement is already underway and police have begun taking a tough stance against offenders. Already in the past few months Metro Police have written summonses and issued fines to those who contravene the by-laws. We believe in having thriving communities, and a clean environment is so important in ensuring that we have healthy communities,” she said.
Mthethwa said the municipality urges residents to continue reporting illegal dumping to 031 311 8804 and be responsible by ensuring that their neighbourhoods are kept clean by taking care of the environment and not litter.
Do you want to receive news alerts via WhatsApp? Send us a WhatsApp message (not an sms) with your name and surname to 060 532 5535.
You can also join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
PLEASE NOTE: If you have signed up for our news alerts you need to save the Berea Mail WhatsApp number as a contact to your phone, otherwise you will not receive our alerts
