Durban — Uncollected refuse bags are piling up around informal settlements in the eThekwini Municipality causing discontent among ratepayers living near them.
In Bonela, Cato Manor, dirt is piling up alongside a newly built informal housing settlement along Blinkbonnie and Buckingham roads causing a health risk and has become an eyesore for ratepayers.
A resident, Ashwin Ramnath, said in 2021 these two sites were cleaned up by community members and were emptied twice a week. The 800 houses in Bonela are paying a monthly charge for refuse collection while those in the settlement aren’t.
Ramnath said recently there had always been a problem with the truck that serviced these areas. It came once in five weeks, leaving the sites overflowing with garbage.
“Through constant communication with the leadership of Enkanini we have managed these sites, ensuring the areas are clean. The bins overflow with dirt onto the road and sidewalks.
“When the truck does a pick-up, the area is surrounded by dirt. I normally have the area cleaned, but of late its becoming impossible due to inconsistent service delivery by the municipality,” said Ramnath.
He added that since the municipality hasn’t been coming to the party, he is sometimes forced to pay someone who will help clean up the garbage.
“The irony in this is that the municipality is always talking about keeping the city clean, but it doesn’t put in or appreciate our efforts in ensuring that we meet them halfway. I’ve been sending emails to departments in the municipality, but all seem to fall on deaf ears because nothing is done.”
Ramnath said the bins in the informal settlements had caught fire at least three times.
“This causes major concern because in some wards bins are emptied on time. The scariest part is that this will have a bad effect on our health, because the entire ward looks like a dumping site. Rats and flies are scattered all over the place,” said Ramnath.
He said the common goal for residents was to keep their community clean but the municipality wasn’t meeting them halfway.
eThekwini Municipality ward 30 councillor Warren Burne said the issue of dumping in Blinkbonnie and Buckingham roads was a long-standing problem which was getting worse.
“In fact, it is not correct to call it dumping because the term usually refers to occasional disposal of solid waste. The problems relate to the disposal of domestic refuse from the informal settlements known as Enkanini,” Burne said.
“The municipality believes it has put suitable arrangements in place for the collection of the domestic refuse by the two contractors who pick up the domestic refuse from the formal houses in Bonela. However, those arrangements weren’t working.”
He said the proposal to put skips in Blinkbonnie and Buckingham roads was made 18 months ago and those skips have not worked successfully because of the impracticalities of emptying them. A special truck is required.
“The solution to the collection of the domestic refuse from Enkanini is dependent on the co-operation of the residents of Enkanini. We will have to get buy-in from the community, through their leadership,” Burne said.
Clare Estate, Shallcross and Reservoir Hills are having similar problems with litter around informal settlements.
EThekwini Municipality’s head of communications, Lindiwe Khuzwayo, said the cleansing and solid waste department has noted with concern the increase in illegal dumping around informal settlements.
“The unit is currently assessing the situation and formulating a plan to clear illegal dumps in the area. However, this will not be sustainable if residents continue to dump waste irresponsibly.”
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