Residents fury grows as town continues to deteriorate under sewage, litter deluge
Newcastle residents have raised their frustrations about how Newcastle continues to crumble under sewage and litter issues.
“What has happened to our town? Are we oblivious to the fact that we are drowning in dams of sewage and living in a glorified landfill site? Have we started accepting this as ‘normal’? It’s disgusting, to say the least!”
This was a remark by a Newcastle resident who said he was fed up watching the town he grew up in fall apart with every passing day.
According to the resident who opted to remain anonymous, he remembers Newcastle as a booming town, beautifully decorated with flora and fauna all around.
The Ncandu River flowed blissfully through town, parks were alive with the sounds of children, and the streets were abuzz with vendors and shoppers happily going about their business, feeling safe and cosy in the town they called ‘home’.
However, today it’s a different story.
Litter is everywhere; sewage is flowing along almost every street, leaving a stench no one can escape.
He further alludes to the fact that the town has become a ‘criminal paradise’ with robberies, housebreakings, and assaults being reported daily.
“It breaks my heart driving through Newcastle and not seeing anything beautiful anymore – only fifth. People are no longer friendly; we no longer smile at one another. I think it’s because our residents are just mad, exhausted, and fed up. The state of our town, the corruption, and the lack of care attitudes from those in charge have taken away our happiness and our sense of feeling at home’,” he said.
According to Newcastle Municipality’s Communications Department, the streets in the CBD are cleaned seven days a week. Hotspots are cleaned weekly.
“Illegal dumping is a societal problem, and we encourage our community to work with the municipality to keep our town clean. Clean-up and awareness campaigns are scheduled accordingly by the waste management unit, working together with the relevant stakeholders.”
The municipality added that a fine of R1000 will be issued to those who are caught littering or illegally dumping.
When asked what steps the municipality was taking to combat the litter issues in town, the department stated ‘street cleaning is done daily, domestic and residential areas are serviced once a week and businesses are serviced according to scheduled services within the constrained resources that we have.’
“Again, we implore our communities to be conscious of their environment and keep it clean while the municipality endeavours to meet the minimum national norms and standards at all times.”
Residents are being advised to immediately report illegal dumping to the municipality by contacting their law enforcement unit at 034 328 4700.
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