Calls are being made to name and shame businesses and residents that continue to dump along the roadside, between Malacca and Legacy Roads, in Glenhills. Durban North resident Arrinne Hayes-Hills who also runs an NPO in the area called The Seed Fund, said that the illegal dumping poses a health hazard to children residing in the Malacca Informal Settlement.
Hayes-Hills claims that the illegal dumping has been an ongoing problem and the municipality is doing nothing about it. She said that the opening hours of the dump site in Malacca has an impact on the illegal dumping. “The dump site closes at 2pm but residents appear at the site later than 2pm hoping that it will reopen. When it does not, they just dump wherever they feel like. We had a conversation with Thabsile Ngcobo who works for the DSW law enforcement who asked us to ‘take photographs, get the details and do an affidavit at the police station’. I think I must have done between six and eight of those, however the city does not follow up and no-one has been prosecuted,” she explained.
Hayes-Hills said because Legacy Road is out of sight of the Malacca Road, people are now starting to dump there. “It is a nightmare and disgusting. From time to time the municipal electricity depot which is suited between Malacca and Legacy roads often pushes the rubbish over to the other section in order to clear the area to park the municipal vehicles. However, this does not help because there is so much dumping, from building materials, household trash and general company rubbish. The trash is near a fast food shop and we also run our Zuzulwazi Early Childhood Development (ECD) programme near the site. Children from the informal settlement are seen playing in this rubbish,” she said.
Hayes-Hills said despite their recent initiative to employ two trained security guards at the site to curb the illegal dumping, she feels it is not enough. Carol McEwan, a member of the Durban North Ratepayers’ Association agreed with Hayes-Hills that a number of affidavits have been handed over to the municipality but nothing has been done about the problem. “There are incidences where a member will say “I know the person” and they will be ‘tipped off’ by an unknown person. Soon after, they will come back and clean up their rubbish. If this continues to happen we won’t go very far. People who dump illegally should be reported and prosecuted and not ‘tipped off’,” she said. McEwan said another issue that causes an increase in the piles of illegal dumping is the measured amount of waste disposal per day stipulated by the dump site. “Sometimes people have to pay a bribe in order to dispose their garbage if it is more than twice the amount. These residents come from as far as uMhlanga, Sunningdale, Phoenix and other surrounding areas,” McEwan added.
She said coming from a nursing background, the situation is unhygienic. “Some people come and throw their household rubbish because it was not collected by DSW on the day, therefore they will drop it off outside the dumping site,” said McEwan. Hayes-Hills added that the easing of the regulations at the dump site might be a solution. “I know people are not allowed to dump building materials at the site. There are certain materials that are allowed to be dumped and you are only allowed to dump twice in one day,” she said. Both Hayes-Hills and McEwan said surveillance cameras will be soon installed in order to curb the situation. Msawakhe Mayisela, eThekwini Municipality spokesperson said the matter has been brought to the attention of the relevant unit.
“The area manager responsible for the area will investigate and address the matter accordingly. Cleansing and Solid Waste (DSW) attends to all cases reported as illegal dumping could cause accidents on the road and poses serious environmental health issues. We believe in having thriving communities, and a clean environment is so important in ensuring that we have healthy communities,” said Mayisela. He said in efforts to maintain a clean and sustainable environment, residents are urged to continue reporting illegal dumping to 031 311 8804 and be responsible by ensuring that their neighbourhoods are kept clean by taking care of the environment. “We call on all residents to be champions of change and stop littering as well as illegally dumping. Where illegal dumping is concerned, once DSW has been alerted, they visit the dumping site and assess the situation. Staff will then engage with the residents and/or businesses surrounding the area and advise them on correct waste management practices by asking them to take ownership of the community. They also clear the illegal dumping and where budget allows, and a need arises, they may erect ‘No Illegal Dumping’ signboards,” added Mayisela.
