Illegal Dumping out of Hand in Etwatwa

by Cllr. Raymond Dhlamini — DA PR Councillor in Ekurhuleni

Date: 10 July 2023

Release: Immediate

Type: Press Statement

Illegal dumping is a huge problem in and around the City of Ekurhuleni (CoE). The residents of Ema’Seventeen Informal Settlement in Ward 65, Etwatwa, have been exposed to hazardous environmental conditions as a result of a lack of waste collection and service delivery in the area. Mountains of waste can be seen accumulating in and around the informal settlement. Chemical toilets have also not been maintained and cleaned by the contractor appointed by the City, leaving residents to relieve themselves in unsanitary conditions.

According to the residents, illegal dumping is a direct consequence of the lack of service delivery. Very often rubbish is not collected in the area for weeks on end.

This illegal dumping is now escalating out of control, thus exacerbating the increase of flies and rodents, which are also adding to the severe health risks that the residents are being subjected to.

I have been reporting the illegal dumping issue for months, but it seems like the CoE could not be bothered to assist these residents. Despite many calls to the CoE Call Centre, the City seems to have turned a blind eye and a deaf ear. The residents of the informal settlement are requesting for waste bins to be placed in and around the informal settlement, illegal dumping hotspots to be cleaned, waste skips to be placed where illegal dumping occurs, and for a new contractor to be appointed to clean and maintain chemical toilets.

The EFF were very vocal during the DA’s tenure, calling the DA-led Coalition “anti-poor” for allegedly neglecting townships and informal settlements where service delivery is concerned. However, today, the City is controlled by the EFF-led Coalition, which has seemingly gone quiet after making these bold statements in the media about servicing informal settlements and townships. Residents in informal settlements are now living in conditions much worse than what they were exposed to under the DA-led Coalition. Waste in informal settlements goes uncollected for weeks and chemical toilets are not maintained to preserve the dignity of the residents living in informal settlements. Residents are now forced to use open fields to relieve themselves due to unsanitary conditions.

It is completely unacceptable that the people of Ekurhuleni have to live and endure such horrible conditions.

The MMC of Environment and Waste Management, Cllr. Eunice Matloga and the MMC for Water, Sanitation and Energy, Cllr. Leshaka Manamela needs to urgently intervene and deal with this issue.

The DA will continue to highlight the plight of the forgotten.

Media Enquiries

Cllr. Raymond Dhlamini

DA PR Councillor in Ekurhuleni

079 770 7410