Landfill sites in SA have been described as “ticking time bombs”. The major metros such as Tshwane, Johannesburg and Cape Town have less than 10 years of useful landfill life left. However, Standerton should breathe fresh air once its landfill is complete.
The struggling municipality is an eyesore because its roads are riddled with potholes, and it faces water and power shortages, among others. Service delivery appears to be a major problem in Lekwa.
The municipality is no stranger to the courts and was slapped with a fine of R70m because of environmental violations.
The Executive Mayor, Louis Thabethe, said in a statement that the upgrade of the landfill site was near completion.
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He said upgrading the site would ensure waste management was performed in a manner that was not harmful to the environment or residents.
Thabethe said after receiving reports about the progress made in the project, he and the mayoral committee decided to conduct an assessment visit to the project.
“Our visit to this project comes from a court order with which we must comply, also with the fact that this is something the municipality should have done a long time ago to protect residents and the environment.”
He added that waste management was a nuisance to neighbouring farmers and a health hazard to the community because the wind blew papers, plastics, and waste material all over.
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The waste management issue in Mpumalanga disgusted the civil rights movement, AfriForum, because this led to an audit of 162 dumping sites in the country.
Not one of the 22 sites in Mpumalanga complied with national standards. Arlo van Heerden from AfriForum said most landfills in Mpumalanga were in terrible states.
“This can mainly be attributed to the financial problems municipalities face as a result of misappropriation of funds and corruption.”
He said the Bethal landfill was getting bigger and bigger and extended to the R38, the main road between Bethal and Standerton.
“There are no fences, and recyclers target vehicles on this road. This is a major concern because the municipal officials are not held accountable,” said a disgruntled Van Heerden.
Landfills are among the country’s largest sources of methane, a greenhouse gas far more potent than carbon dioxide.
According to research, people living close to landfill sites are at higher risk of suffering from asthma, diarrhoea, stomach pain and a weak immune system.
