Mount Vernon residents claim they face health problems from illegal dumpsite smoke

Residents across Mount Vernon and the greater Queensburgh area are still battling with air pollution from an illegal dumpsite in the Umkhumbaan/Chesterville area, where waste has been smouldering and burning.

According to a preliminary report from the eThekwini Municipality Technical Services Directorate, officials visited the site on November 18, 2025, to assess the stability of the embankment where dumping took place. Officials found that the dumpsite could have started in late 2023 and early 2024. Being an illegal dumping site, officials have not established what may have been included in the dump, but from the surface, they observed wood (planks and cut branches) and flammable material such as paper and plastic.

Officials presume that there is probably a lot of potential fuel and oxygen down there, allowing the fire to continue burning, despite 400,000 litres of water being pumped onto the dumpsite by firefighters.

Volunteers in the community created a website named Unity in CommUNITY to voice their concerns and provide updates to residents.

Sarah Basson, a residents' representative, said more than 30 residents have already emailed to complain. She said that each complaint lists multiple people per household being affected, with the most severe symptoms experienced by children and the elderly. Some of the reported symptoms include:

• aggravated asthma
• nausea
• headaches
• coughing
• stinging eyes
• nose sinus infections

“Having corresponded with the municipality and the councillors over the past three months regarding this matter, there has been very little effective action to stop the illegal burning. In fact, many of the complaints we have received indicate that conditions have worsened at night, with the smoke and odour becoming more frequent and more intense,” an update on the website stated.

The website also stated that Westville residents have complained about the smoke. 

"It has become clear that the impact is far more widespread and not limited to ward 65. This is a broader, area-wide public health concern," the website stated. 

Nomasonto Ngcungama, a resident of eThekwini ward 65, said communities continue to endure the health impacts, disrupted daily life, and ongoing uncertainty — with no clear, accountable action plan or visible enforcement to prevent this from happening again.

eThekwini Municipality spokesperson Gugu Sisilana said the city is aware of the illegal landfill located in the Chesterville/Ridgeview area. Site inspections have been conducted by the Waste Management Directorate (WMD) and the Air Quality Directorate, and the matter has been escalated to other relevant city directorates for intervention.

Sisilana said joint site inspections have also been undertaken. Additionally, the WMD has escalated the matter for inclusion in the city’s Environmental Compliance Committee database to ensure it receives the necessary attention and ongoing monitoring.

“Illegal dumping remains a significant challenge for eThekwini, with multiple and interlinked impacts. These include the high costs associated with clearing illegal dumps, which place financial strain on the municipality,” she said.

Illegal dumping causes environmental degradation of vacant land, open spaces, watercourses, and risks to human health and safety, including fires that cause air pollution and damage stormwater infrastructure, potentially leading to flooding.

Sisilana said that illegal dumping also negatively affects the aesthetic quality of areas, undermining civic pride and degrading public spaces.

Despite increased enforcement efforts, including fines of up to R5,000 issued to individuals and businesses, illegal dumping continues to occur. The municipality emphasises that illegal dumping is both a behavioural and systemic challenge that requires a collaborative approach.

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