Democratic Alliance PR councillor Nonhlanhla Sifumba said she saw a marked Johannesburg Roads Agency truck illegally dumping rubbish in the outskirts of Dobsonville on Friday.
Sifumba was doing her regular rounds in the area when she came across this.
“I saw these clearly marked JRA trucks dumping rubbish in this area.
“This area is plagued by muggings and an array of other hideous crimes including rape and murder.
“The residents living in this area have been raising concerns about the litter and crime happening in this area, as a result DA took it upon itself to petition the City of Johannesburg to provide regular patrols in the area,” she said.
Sifumba said: “The DA is appealing to JRA and any other entity or private companies to stop dumping in this area.
“We urge the City Parks and Zoo and Community Development Department to heed the community’s call to develop a park, sports grounds or food gardens in order to use the open space wisely,” said Sifumba.
JRA spokesperson Bertha Peter-Scheepers said due to the vast areas that each depot services, JRA regularly stockpiles material in key locations.
“This material is used for backfilling of potholes and sink holes as well as during emergencies such as flooding, where berms are constructed to manage the storm water and protect homes and streets.
“As part of its stakeholder engagement, JRA undertakes regional activities to address problems in hotspot areas, in consultation with the community,” she said.
Scheepers said: “In this specific instance, the JRA confirms that the Entity and Region D Management instructed its workers to backfill the old pit site in Dobsonville.
“This follows a meeting on August 20 and subsequent investigation by the JRA and other city entities at the request of the ward councillor plus community, where complaints of illegal activities including drug abuse and sales, Satanism and several murders have taken place and that the bodies (including those of children) have been disposed of in the deep holes in the open areas.”
She said this is just one of the remedial activities in the area performed at the request of the community.
“The JRA will be arranging a site visit for all interested stakeholders to identify the remedial actions undertaken,” she said.
