Media - City Targets Illegal Dumping

A day-long service delivery tour including a clean-up campaign, with litter and rubble collected by City officials and members of the public.

ON a long hot day, City officials rolled up their sleeves in a campaign to clean up illegal dump sites.

Executive mayor Amos Masondo helps clean up an illegal dumping site

It was aimed at cleaning sites that have become illegal dumping grounds in regions D and G, on the southern side of the city. Eldorado Park, Lenasia and Orange Farm fall in these areas.

Masondo said illegal dumping was a growing concern. “As a measure of dealing with this challenge, we have allocated substantial resources to clean up public spaces which have been polluted with industrial and building rubble as well as large-scale littering.”

Joining the mayor were members of his mayoral committee for environment and corporate services, Matshidiso Mfikoe; for development, planning and urban management, Rosslyn Greeff; and for transport, Rehana Moosajee; as well as and the City‘s executive director of health, Refik Bismilla.

The tour began in Orange Farm, with the mayoral committee members, senior City staff and members of the community cleaning up piles of waste dumped on public roads. Masondo said residents and businesses generated about 1,6 million tons of waste every year; more then 250 000 tons were dumped illegally.

Opening a new road in Orange Farm

For some locals it was not just a campaign, but an opportunity to raise their concerns with the mayor.

Joleene Samson, an Eldorado Park resident, complained about overgrown shrubs next to her house. “Already there are a number of murder cases that have been reported in this area because of long grass. Criminals take advantage of these shrubs.”

Responding to the complaints, the mayor said the City would appoint a task team to look closely at these issues. “We are working with various departments and stakeholders to ensure that there is smooth co-ordination of services.”

On the day Masondo also opened new roads in Orange Farm. “In the past, roads in this area used to be a disaster during rainy seasons.”

He said the City was committed to ensuring there was development in all communities. The R32-million road project began in April 2009 and was completed in May 2010.

Gravel roads were surfaced, and storm water pipe lines were installed, as were manholes, among other upgrades.