Frustration piles up over refuse removal backlog
Mechanical breakdowns blamed for refuse not being collected on time.
Residents are becoming increasingly frustrated with the lack of refuse removal services in Brakpan.
The Herald has been inundated with complaints from residents about their rubbish not being removed according to the collection schedule, with some claiming their refuse hasn’t been collected at all in months.
Taking to our Facebook page, the Herald last week asked residents if they were satisfied with refuse removal services in Brakpan, and the answer was a resounding no.
The post had over 170 comments.
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Residents from other towns, including Springs and Boksburg, also commented and stated similar problems are being experienced in their areas.
“It is such a pain to take the wheelie bin in and out constantly in the hope that it will be emptied,” said a resident of Brakpan North.
“You cannot just leave it outside overnight because then it will be stolen and then you have even more trouble.
“It is ridiculous that we are expected to pay for this.”
According to Brandon Pretorius, DA councillor for Ward 97 in Brakpan, the City of Ekurhuleni has not removed refuse on time in Brakpan since the beginning of the year.
“In Brakpan, we do not have one municipal truck working,” he said.
“The excuses change daily, but the mayor and his incompetent administration should realise the residents of Brakpan are not unreasonable individuals and if the City starts communicating truthfully, things would not be as bad as it is now.
“To me, it looks like residents are now expected by the City of Ekurhuleni to pay for services not being delivered.
“The residents of Brakpan are now beyond gatvol of excuses and the City’s blatant lies.
“The City should not be surprised when residents react to the lack of service delivery.”
The refuse removal backlog is also causing an increase in illegal dumping, which Pretorius also noted.
“I have noticed a huge increase in illegal dumping, and the reason for that is the fact that refuse is not being removed,” he said.
“I do, however, plead with residents to not dump their refuse as we are now on our own and we are responsible for the state of our town.”
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In response to the Herald’s queries regarding issues with refuse collection in Brakpan, City of Ekurhuleni spokesperson Zweli Dlamini explained the municipality is experiencing challenges with vehicle availability at its depots due to mechanical breakdowns.
“The service providers assisting with additional capacity on an as-and-when required basis have not been able to supply sufficient vehicles to cover for the shortfall,” he said.
“We are running below 25 per cent capacity in Brakpan and cannot collect refuse as per refuse collection schedule for the past two weeks.
“We are, however, in the process of fixing the problems and we anticipate that services will be restored to normal after two weeks.
“We apologise for the inconvenience caused to our ratepayers and want to reassure them that this regrettable situation is receiving our urgent attention.”
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Contact the newsroom by emailing: Thelma Koorts (editor) brakpanherald@caxton.co.za or Stacy Slatter (news editor) stacys@caxton.co.za
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