The collection of refuse in Umdoni and access to Umdoni’s landfill site became a major problem last year in November. The road to the landfill site was closed by protesters and Umdoni had staffing and vehicle issues that brought a halt to the service. This caused a major backlog and left heaps of stinking rubbish piled up in various public places in early December 2021.
It was evident at the time that Umdoni’s management were not coping and the leadership did not care. We wrote to the office of the MEC for COGTA seeking an intervention to assist in dealing with the growing health crisis that was unravelling. This had the desired effect of pushing the management and leadership in Umdoni, to take steps to deal with the situation.
Since then the service has not returned to normal. Today, some 10 months later, we are back in the same situation with: transportation of waste to Durban, collection backlogs, piles of uncollected litter, access to the landfill cut off, the landfill site closed, growing piles of randomly dumped waste due to the non-availability of the site, and very irate customers who pay for a service they are not getting.
The health and social instability implications of this scenario are dire. We are faced with a crisis that is not being treated with the urgency and priority it deserves and there is a stubborn refusal to seriously consider suggestions and proposals that seeks to restore the service.
After the service came to a complete halt on Friday last week, we wrote to the MM and mayor asking for their plans to address the crisis. We did not get a reply (a standard response from Umdoni) and have therefore made a second appeal to the MEC to intervene so that the Solid Waste Management Regime can be returned to normal. Once again this had the desired effect of stinging the officials into action and some collections commenced over the weekend.
There is still a long way to go before we can be content that the service is back to full strength. We will follow up with the office of the MEC for a response, failing which a case will be lodged with the Human Rights Commission and the Public Protector’s office to intervene. These are usually time-consuming avenues and seldom do they bring immediate relief. They remain necessary however, to put and end to the continued dereliction of duty that has put us in this unhealthy and unnecessary situation.
The Department of Environmental Affairs will be requested to issue an instruction to Umdoni to open the landfill site and clean up the heaps of dumped waste that litter our towns. In the event that Umdoni continues with the half measures we have been exposed to for 10 months we will mobilise citizens and businesses to participate in collecting and disposing of waste at the landfill site. We will also engage with the residents at Farm Abrams to cooperate with us in this endeavour. We cannot allow this crisis to continue and we cannot allow those who are responsible to get away with what can only be called “a gross dereliction of duty”.
UMDONI DA COUNCILLORS
Edwin Baptie, Saleem Mahomed, David Mdluli, Thabani Msomi, Shara Singh, Shamila Sookhraj.
HAVE YOUR SAY
Like the South Coast Herald’s Facebook page, follow us on Twitter and Instagram
