EDITOR – The people of the Hillcrest and surrounding Upper Highway community are to be commended for their stoic objection to the stench emanating from the Shongweni Landfill site operated by EnviroServ. I visited this site together with DA public representatives, Councillor Gill Noyce and DA National Spokesperson for Environmental Affairs, Thomas Hadebe, MP on 24 October 2016 and we were able to interrogate the onsite treatment of leachate, and the storage and disposal thereof.
National action overtook us with the Green Scorpions and executed a search and seizure warrant on 12 September and issued a final compliance notice to EnviroServ on 21 October to clean up their act and close the site to Type 1 waste. The company was also required to remove all leachate and contaminated storm water as well as establish the root cause of the odours generated from this site.
The DA welcomes this action and is committed to monitoring compliance on behalf of the local communities who must live with the stink emanating from this location.
This entire saga is another example of good legislation (The Waste Management Act, No 59 of 2008 plus amendments) being let down by the lack of implementation, leaving people to suffer the consequences.
The problem of waste will not go away any time soon. Tragically, investment in environmental issues is also not regarded as ‘vote winning’ and as a result it is not high on the political agenda. This must change. “Reduce, Recycle, Recover and Re-use” are being ignored. Our beautiful province deserves better.
Ann McDonnell, MPL
DA KZN spokesman on Environmental Affairs
