Tembisa residents are fed up with the foul smell emanating from uncollected waste and are demanding action from the City of Ekurhuleni.
Frustrated residents told IOL News that waste has not been collected for nearly four weeks, raising concerns about the municipality's failure to deliver services.
Xolani Mnisi, the leader of Tembisa Community Forum said this is not the first time the issue has been happening.
“The issue has been happening for years. It is an on and off thing that frequently happens. Recently it has been four weeks now that waste is not being collected.”
Mnisi claims that widespread corruption within the municipality is the root cause of the problem.
“Corruption is the main reason for the inability to provide services by this municipality. Tembisans pay for this service yet we are told that contractors are not paid. So it is the municipality's failure to do things right,” he said.
Mnisi said that “the entire Tembisa is affected by uncollected waste”, which is piling up and causing a foul odour.
He expressed concern about their health, fearing the risk of diseases due to the situation, while paying a monthly bill of about R275 for waste collection.
“Our health is seriously at risk, with the rat population growing and invading our homes. We're worried this could lead to diseases."
He added that many corners across the township have turned into illegal dumping sites due to the uncollected waste.
“The township and open spaces have turned into a dump site,” he said.
Mnisi urged the provincial government to step in and called on the municipality to consider insourcing waste collection services.
ActionSA's City of Ekurhuleni caucus leader, Siyanda Makhubo, said that Tembisa, Daveyton, Kempton Park, Etwatwa, Duduza, KwaThema, and Tsakane are all facing waste collection issues, while the municipality continues to bill residents for services that are not being provided.
According to Makhubo, the municipality had approved the R63 million budget to deliver refuse collection services.
He said that waste collection services in Ekurhuleni are mostly done by service providers, alleging that a Limpopo-based company lacking a registered address in the city has been awarded a multimillion-rand contract.
“The company, believed to be linked to some political elites, has since refused to collect waste until the City pays for services rendered,” he said.
Makhubo said the contract required the company to supply 10 operational refuse removal trucks and add 10 new trucks within three months, with another 6 trucks expected by the five-month mark.
“Shockingly, to date, only two trucks have been made available for refuse removal across the entire Tembisa area,” said Makhubo.
He said they want MMC for Environmental Resources and Waste Management, Leshaka Manamela, to explain when the municipality will start paying contracted service providers for refuse removal services.
In response to IOL News questions, City of Ekurhuleni spokesperson Zweli Dlamini said the waste collection problem was caused by a shortage of vehicles due to mechanical breakdowns.
“The refuse collection services are relatively on schedule and backlogs are addressed over weekends or before the next collection cycle.”
Dlamini blamed residents for dumping refuse irresponsibly, particularly in open spaces.
“There is a challenge with some of the residents not using the allocated 240l refuse receptacles (wheelie bin) for storage until the scheduled refuse collection day(s).”
Dlamini denied claims that a Limpopo-based company was appointed to render services for the municipality.
“We are not aware of such claims, though it must be mentioned that City of Ekurhuleni subscribes to a structured supply chain management process guided by the relevant legislative framework when appointing entities for the supply of goods and services.”
Dlamini attributed the issues with inconsistent refuse collection in Tembisa to vehicle shortages caused by mechanical breakdowns and backlogs, rather than unpaid service providers.
He stated that refuse collection services have been on schedule since early August, with backlogs being cleared every weekend owing to increased vehicle capacity.
IOL