Mzi Khumalo, the Rand West City Local Municipality Executive Mayor, has responded to questions from a councillor regarding the state of the local dumping site.
For some time, the community of Randfontein has been up in arms about the landfill with illegal dumping said to be occurring more frequently. On Tuesday, 15 August, the Herald went to investigate and met up with Gerhard Kruger, DA councillor and Chief Whip. Gerhard then put several questions to the mayor who has since responded.
Gerhard is first of all concerned whether or not the dumping site complies with the conditions laid down by the Gauteng Department of Environmental Affairs.
“The landfill site partially complies with the conditions of the Department of Environmental Affairs,” the mayor said.
Gerhard then asked how many vehicles at the site are in use. The mayor confirmed four vehicles have been allocated to the landfill site, namely: one trash waste compactor; one tipper truck; one water tanker and one wheeled front-end loader, however, only the wheeled front-end loader is currently available for use at the site. He added that the water tanker is currently being used to supply water to an informal settlement. The mayor also confirmed that the remaining vehicles are not in a working condition at the moment.
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A local resident, Wiekus de Beer, told the Herald there is no control over the off-loading of rubble.
“During the week, we can take a chance and go to the site but come weekends, it is a big risk. People storm your vehicle, and jump onto it while it’s still moving, potentially causing damage to the vehicle. You also can not risk saying anything to the people there, because they threaten you. It is very unsafe and there is no control over the off-loading,” he said.
The mayor advised the public that off-loading should be controlled by two spotters who direct the general public to where they can dispose of their waste. He said, “Control is however compromised by landfill re-claimers at times.”
He added that six guards and four spotters are required to properly manage all re-claimers operating on the site. Community members feel the main reason for illegal dumping is the safety risk at the site. Even though there are security guards at the site, residents still feel unsafe.
“It is unsafe and obstructed – there is no proper control,” said Wanda Saayman.
Gerhard then asked what the purpose of the security guards was. According to the mayor, security personnel are there to keep the site safe, and control the re-claimers and other persons. He made it clear that the council will source additional security personnel in order to render the site fit and safe for the public that make use of it.
The mayor also mentioned that “there is a need to relocate the informal settlement away from the landfill site.”
The municipality has prioritised the implementation of the following measures in order to ensure proper management of the site:
• Repairing and replacement of fleet and yellow plant that are currently out of commission
• Repairing the landfill perimeter fence
• Increasing the number of security personnel
• Increasing the number of landfill spotters
Gerhard currently feels that the dumping site is unhygienic state and has been in a very bad condition for the past two years. He also informed the Herald that the weigh-bridge has been out of order for the last five years.
“In the 2015/ 2016 budget, funds were budgeted to fix the weigh-bridge,” said Gerhard, but this apparently didn’t happen.
He is also very concerned that processing of waste does not take place. “What will the municipality do if the site reaches it full capacity?” he asked.
Kruger told the Herald that because the site is in such a bad state, the DA will put pressure on the municipality to comply with the conditions laid down by the Department of Environmental Affairs. He also said that an over-sight visit to all the dumping sites within the municipal boundaries will be conducted soon.
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