City of Mbombela slow to act on illegal dumping in White River
Farmer Gerald du Toit said he had tried to clean up the area, but it is useless as people were even dumping their rubbish while he was busy.
Despite the fact that farmers on the R538 outside town continue to battle with illegal dumping, residents from nearby villages are continuing to dump their rubbish in
the area.
With the City of Mbombela (CoM) seemingly unable to address the problem, farmers are now considering taking the legal route.
The R538 sees many tourists travelling to the Kruger National Park and it could affect Mpumalanga’s tourism sector, which has already taken a major beating thanks to the pandemic and incidents of crime on the road that made headlines in the media.
In a previous issue, Lowvelder reported that plantation farmers on R538 were pleading with people to stop illegally dumping next to their properties, but it is continuing unabated.
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One of the farmers, Gerald du Toit, said after the article had been published, a few officials visited the area and promised to clean it up, but they were never seen again. “The garbage keeps on piling up as residents from the nearby villages keep on dumping their rubbish. I have tried to call the CoM to follow up on the officials who came to assess the situation and it promised to get back to me, but until today I have had no luck,” he said.
Du Toit said he had tried to clean up the area, but it is useless as people were even dumping their rubbish while he was busy. He had also been using money from his own pocket to purchase garbage bags. He believes the only people who can stop the dumping would be the CoM.
“If the municipality fails to assist, I will have to go the legal route to stop the dumping because it affects our businesses and the environment. Going to the media was the last resort to get the municipality’s attention, but it has proved to me that it is useless,” he said.
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According to the spokesperson for CoM, Joseph Ngala, the process is under way to remove it.
“It is difficult to stop the dumping as most of it happens at night. We will, however, erect a warning sign and continue to raise awareness on the subsequent impact on the environment. The public is encouraged to report these activities.
Send photos with the perpetrator’s car registration to customerservice@mbombela.gov.za. This information is sent to the traffic services that will then issue a fine to the perpetrators,” he said.
