Protest over Ekurhuleni waste tenders causes big stink

The battle for the fair awarding of multimillion-rand waste management tenders in the City of Ekurhuleni has emerged as the key trigger in this week’s protest by community-based organisations.

This has resulted in a stoppage of refuse removal trucks from collecting garbage – now in its third day.

Hardest-hit have been Vosloorus and Katlehong, with a stench from piles of uncollected rubbish unbearable.

Ekurhuleni mayor Mzwandile Masina, who is away “attending a funeral”, yesterday referred The Citizen to finance mayoral committee (MMC) Doctor Xhakaza, who could not respond.

Talks between community leaders and a city delegation led by member of MMC for environment and waste management Khosi Mabaso have failed to reach a consensus on key areas of concern.

Civil society organisations under the umbrella of Mzantsi Business Association (MBA) have claimed that senior metro officials were deeply entrenched in corrupt activities, like money laundering, unethical behaviour and nepotism, in awarding lucrative tenders to friends and relatives.

“The meeting with MMC Mabaso’s delegation did not go well at all and has been postponed to the following morning in Katlehong, because we could not find each other,” said MBA chair Clement Molobela.

“Our fight is over what we see as widespread corruption in Ekurhuleni, especially when it comes to the awarding of waste management tenders.

“All waste trucks are going to be parked and won’t deliver the much-needed services to the people until further notice.”

Molobela claimed that the MMCs and senior metro council officials have their own companies, “which they continue to push to be awarded waste collection tenders”.

Among several of its past exposes on allegations of irregularities in the Ekurhuleni environment and waste management department, The Citizen has revealed how:

• In March last year, 150 waste removal employees, hired by the City of Ekurhuleni-appointed Nokeng Gondo Waste Management, were forced by circumstances to defy government’s lockdown regulations by gathering and staging a protest in Palm Ridge – downing tools until their salaries were paid; and
• The city’s multimillion-rand scheme meant to empower community-based contractors in the townships only brought misery and destitution to struggling entrepreneurs – with bureaucrats and politically connected individuals said to be living a lifestyle of opulence, with expensive cars and mansions.

According to a political expert, governments performance – including nondelivery of services to residents – should be featuring in the minds of the electorate in the upcoming local government polls.

“Corruption at local level should be a dominant issue at the upcoming polls – but this is South Africa,” said University of Pretoria political lecturer Roland Henwood.

“We seem to personalise corruption, by saying: ‘it is others doing it, not us’. We don’t make people in positions of responsibility account for what they do.

“In peoples’ choices, corruption still does not have an impact before they put a mark on the ballot box during local government elections.

“The assumption is that people’s conscience will be influenced by lack of garbage collection and potholes in the streets.

“We have created a system in this country where various elites compete for the spoils. Those who are voting are torn between these elites.

“You are, in essence, looking at an intra-ANC election and not [one] that is supposed to happen on an expected South African scale.”

brians@citizen.co.za

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