Only four of the 12 garbage trucks that are responsible for refuse removal in Ikageng and Promosa are operational.
In the Herald of 12 April, there was a report on heaps of rubbish lying on just about every street corner in Ikageng. Residents are fed up with the smell and sight of this illegal dumping that takes place on a daily basis right on their doorsteps.
A resident of Ikageng, Thuto Noge, says he has to deal with everything from nappies to dead dogs as people keep dumping their rubbish in a field next to his house.
Most people in Ikageng have to deal with this constant frustration. Noge says residents have been using the field as a dumping site ever since he can remember and nothing has been done about it.
According to a municipal spokesperson, Willie Maphosa, there is a backlog of refuse removal in Ikageng and Promosa.
‘Although there are a dozen trucks available, only four are currently operational, the others are either in for repairs or waiting for orders to be repaired or serviced. Some that do have order numbers struggle to get parts because they are so old – it takes a while to secure spares,’ he says.
Maphosa adds that they continue to ensure that all areas are serviced on the days scheduled for refuse collection. ‘The municipality works tirelessly to avoid skipping a scheduled service.
‘Each municipal compactor truck makes about four or five trips or loads a day,’ he says.
Regarding illegal dumping in open fields and on street corners, Maphosa is adamant that the backlogs are not to blame.
‘The municipality believes the waste that lands on street corners is dumped there by community members. We also believe that citizens have to be held responsible for dumping waste illegally,’ he continues.
Maphosa says that, while the municipality tries to keep the streets clean, they do not have sufficient law enforcement capacity to curb illegal dumping in the communities.
‘We continue to implement awareness campaigns and request the media and any other stakeholders to assist in this regard.
Any citizen transgressing the law should be held responsible by both the municipality and their communities,’ he says.
