Refuse dumped along railway line

Refuse is being dumped along the railway line at the end of School Road just off the Modjadjiskloof road, and some residents say no one, including the municipality, seems to care.

“No one cares anymore. The quicker they can get rid of the rubbish with as little effort as possible, the sooner life can get on to more important things than looking after the environment.

“This is what most people feel and it makes the rest of the community also care less about their environment,” was Polokwane resident, Les Jardim’s opinion. Jardim was just one of the many residents who had complaints in this regard.

He said he had resorted to speaking with the media as he felt that not even the municipality wanted to help clean up the city.

He said at first a few refuse bags of rubbish were dumped at the railway line. “But now the veld at the railway line has become a dumping ground for anyone who has something to get rid of: building materials, household garbage, anything can be found here,” he said.

He said municipal employees travelled past the unsightly mess daily on their way to the nearby pump station but it was never cleaned up.

He sent letters to the municipality on more than one occasion in this regard but nothing came of them, he said.

“The only response I got from them was a reply that said: ‘We have taken note of the illegal dumping and will investigate’, but nothing gets done and the rubbish just keeps heaping up. It is even blocking a storm-water drain running underneath the railway line,” Jardim expostulated.

Municipal spokesperson Tidimalo Chuene was unable to give comment on the matter before going to print and said she would comment at a later date.