Residents face health hazard due to lack of waste collection in Vusimuzi
by Cllr. Mabekenyane Thamahane — DA Councillor for Ward 90 in Ekurhuleni
Date: 05 March 2021
Release: Immediate
Type: Media Statement
Residents of Vusimuzi have once again been let down by the ANC Coalition-led City of Ekurhuleni. This time through a lack of waste collection, posing a massive health risk to those living in the communities.
Vusimuzi resident, Mushi Jonas, explains how those living in the community have to contend with rats and flies because of the illegal dumping that is occurring due to the absence of waste collection by the City.
The lack of waste collection is common across Ekurhuleni and is directly caused by the backlog experienced by the Waste Department due to the City’s mismanagement of landfill sites. Only a fraction of the City’s five landfill sites have been in operation in recent times, creating a backlog that has seen snaking queues of trucks at sites such as Platkop. The backlog has meant that these service vehicles simply do not have the capacity to adequately collect residents waste.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Ekurhuleni has taken up the issue with City on a number of fronts. In the January Council meeting, the Party submitted a motion of no confidence in the MMC for Environmental Resources and Waste Management Services, Ald. Khosi Mabaso. Although the motion did not carry due to the ANC and coalition partners’ majority in Council, the measure highlights the desperate state of Ekurhuleni’s waste caused by the mismanagement of the Department under Ald Mabaso .
In addition, the DA has launched a petition calling for authoritative action in remedying the City’s waste crisis. To sign the petition please click the link below.
https://www.petitions.net/city_ofekurhuleni_waste_crisis
The DA will continue to put pressure on the Waste Department to ensure that residents receive waste collection services. The current waste crisis facing Ekurhuleni is a result of the poor administration by the ANC and their coalition partners and highlights their neglect of residents, like Mushi Jonas, of which the DA will continue to hold the administration to account.
Cllr. Mabekenyane Thamahane
DA Councillor for Ward 90 in Ekurhuleni
