For the past seven years, community activist, Gwen Britz has watched her neighbourhood of Steynsvlei in Muldersdrift going to the dogs due to illegal dumping.
A concerned Gwen, who is appalled by the lack of by-law enforcement by Mogale City Local Municipality, told Northsider that all her pleas for a clean-up have received very little attention from the authorities.
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“Over the years, I have written letters and phoned, raising the issue with the Department of Public Safety in the Mogale City Local Municipality and their answer has always been that they don’t have enough staff to enforce the by-laws,” Gwen claimed.
She said their response was not good enough. “I’m finding this very difficult to accept because by-laws are being enforced in other areas of Mogale City. What is it with Steynsvlei that by-law enforcement is being ignored?” a dissatisfied Gwen asked.
Parts of Steynsvlei have become a dumping hub over the years, and what saddens Gwen is that its locals who are the perpetrators of the scourge.
“Unfortunately, it is now local people who are dumping in the area,” she said. She mentioned the latest incident, in the veld adjacent to Russell Street. “Fibreglass was dumped on an undeveloped property (open veld). And sadly this is a health risk because there are children that play there. Those children will dig into that trash – if not them, the recyclers who go around pushing their little trollies will,” Gwen explained.
Apart from the Russell Street mess, another piece of land adjacent to the N14 is also in a state of disarray. This portion of land is used as a walkway by pedestrians but it’s been an eyesore as it’s overwhelmed with rubble and litter, which has been illegally dumped over the years.
“Building rubble is being dropped off between Henry and Francis Roads and this has been going on unabated,” Gwen complained.
She also mentioned the dumping of hazardous waste by various companies into the storm-water drains in the area.
The ward councillor for the area, Zillah Maguire, admitted that they had a serious problem. “We have a terrible issue of illegal dumping in Mogale City, especially in the rural areas. I have discussed this with the Department of Integrated Environmental Management as well as with the Department of Public Safety. The Department of Public Safety tries to assist with these matters; however, they cannot enforce anything on privately owned land, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Metro Police,” she explained.
She added, “Should the dumping have been on Council property or on the open road, they would be able to enforce the law. It is unfortunately up to the landowner in this case to open a case with the police against the person or business accused of the illegal dumping”.
Mogale City Local Municipality has been approached for comment. As this is a developing story, an update will be published when additional information has been provided.
