By LIKHAPHA THAATHAA and LUCAS NOWICKI
After failing to comply with the court order of 18 February 2022, the Makana Municipality has formulated a plan to remove all illegal dumping sites over the next two years.
Xolo said the LRC would conduct site visits to evaluate what the municipality has done to clean the illegal dumpsites. She said they appreciated Makana’s initiative and were happy that the municipality was working with the community to find solutions.
LRC Attorney Ona Xolo said a follow-up meeting with the municipality would monitor the actions they promised to take in terms of the plan.
In 2020, the Ezihagweni Street Committee and Mary Waters High School, represented by the Legal Resource Centre (LRC), took Makana Municipality to court over inconsistent and irregular waste management.
In an official statement, Makana Executive Mayor Yandiswa Vara said while it had become a financial challenge to eradicate illegal dumping sites, the municipality was committed to cleaning over 130 illegal dumpsites around the city.
In a significant boost to its efforts, the municipality received a skip loader truck donation on Friday, 13 May, from the Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and Environment (DFFE) for use in eradicating the illegal dumpsites.
Handing over the new truck, Vara urged staff to take care of it. “You must look after this truck and ensure that it is always in good working condition; there will be consequences if anything happens,” she said.
Vara also urged residents not to dump refuse on the cleaned sites. “This is our town – we must be responsible for keeping it clean,” she said.
Xolo said the LRC would investigate the policing of dumpsites and insist on clear organograms showing staff responsibilities and diagrams indicating how and when Makana’s fleet would collect garbage.
The municipality said the specialised waste removal vehicle would improve daily refuse collection.
The LRC has not given the municipality a deadline because “it will be a long process”, Xolo said.
“Taking them to court will not help with anything; rather, we meet them halfway,” she said.
