Rubbish piles up in Amanzimtoti
Some residents have taken advantage and dumped furniture and other material at the temporary dumpsite which was allocated for domestic refuse only.
AS of today (March 7) the strike by eThekwini Municipal workers affiliated with the South African Municipal Workers Union is on its ninth day, and residents continue to suffer as services have ground to a halt.
Also read: Illegal municipal strike continues
One of the most impacted services has been refuse collection. Tons of all kinds of waste from private residences and businesses have piled up in places where no dumping should take place. One of the makeshift dumpsites has been the old circus grounds on Civic Road between the N2 and the Amanzimtoti Civic Centre.
Ward 97 councillor André Beetge asked residents and businesses to dump all their refuse there as he tried to put the illegal dumping under control.
“Many, including the Cleansing and Solid Waste Department, have criticised the decision to accumulate refuse on the open site along Civic Road. Had we not taken that initiative, refuse would be strewn along verges, along lesser-travelled roads or within municipal parks and open ground. While intended to facilitate refuse that couldn’t be kept or which created a health hazard, many inconsiderably took to dumping bottles, furniture and other objects that posed a problem,” said Beetge.
On March 5, eThekwini sent an ultimatum to striking workers to either return to work or lose their jobs. At the time of publication, the strike was still in progress.
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