Despite rubbish collection resuming in many suburbs following the Buffalo City Metro’s refuse collectors strike, some areas are still battling mounds of waste.
Duncan Village ward 1 councillor Mongezi Ngcaba said his area had been in a sorry state since November last year, with rubbish piles in the area so big they were obstructing traffic lanes.
Fed up residents said although BCM had dispatched people to pack the rubbish in black refuse bags ready for collection, trucks only accessed Douglas Smith Highway, leaving residents living in the side streets to fend for themselves.
Nontuthuzelo Nonewo said a rubbish heap in front of her house grew bigger every day as residents, who used the spot as a pickup point, continued to dump there daily.
Nonewo said she had begged people to find other places to dump their rubbish without much luck, while she was forced to endure the smell and the maggots coming from the stinky pile.
“All kinds of things are dumped here, from household waste to rotten food. Meanwhile I have maggots and flies in my house every day,” she said.
“Since last year this area has been getting dirtier and dirtier. I can’t even remember the last time I saw the municipal garbage truck coming this way.”
Another resident, Ndoda Jonas, said drivers had to constantly swerve when going down some streets because most of the rubbish heaps overlapped onto the road. “Some streets have had only one lane for months now and the rubbish heaps just keep getting bigger,” he said.
Ngcaba said the area was in urgent need of a grader which could push all the garbage to a central point where a truck can then collect, with weekly pick-ups necessary from there.
“Even before the strike our streets were dirty. If we could just have one massive clean up I’m sure the area would be easier to maintain from there.”
Other areas also complained about rubbish collection in their areas. Nompumelelo resident Tolo Dunjwa said rubbish had not been collected in their area in two months.
Last week the Daily Dispatch reported that fed up residents had dumped their rubbish in Bonza Bay road outside Ronnies Motors.
BCM spokesman Thandy Matebese said rubbish collection was still not at 100% because there were a number of trucks still not operational. “These are the trucks that had mechanical failures and they are still not operational. However the matter is being attended to,” he said.
Piles of garbage still litter BCM
Duncan Village ward 1 councillor Mongezi Ngcaba said his area had been in a sorry state since November last year, with rubbish piles in the area so big they were obstructing traffic lanes.
Fed up residents said although BCM had dispatched people to pack the rubbish in black refuse bags ready for collection, trucks only accessed Douglas Smith Highway, leaving residents living in the side streets to fend for themselves.
Nontuthuzelo Nonewo said a rubbish heap in front of her house grew bigger every day as residents, who used the spot as a pickup point, continued to dump there daily.
Nonewo said she had begged people to find other places to dump their rubbish without much luck, while she was forced to endure the smell and the maggots coming from the stinky pile.
“All kinds of things are dumped here, from household waste to rotten food. Meanwhile I have maggots and flies in my house every day,” she said.
“Since last year this area has been getting dirtier and dirtier. I can’t even remember the last time I saw the municipal garbage truck coming this way.”
Another resident, Ndoda Jonas, said drivers had to constantly swerve when going down some streets because most of the rubbish heaps overlapped onto the road. “Some streets have had only one lane for months now and the rubbish heaps just keep getting bigger,” he said.
Ngcaba said the area was in urgent need of a grader which could push all the garbage to a central point where a truck can then collect, with weekly pick-ups necessary from there.
“Even before the strike our streets were dirty. If we could just have one massive clean up I’m sure the area would be easier to maintain from there.”
Other areas also complained about rubbish collection in their areas. Nompumelelo resident Tolo Dunjwa said rubbish had not been collected in their area in two months.
Last week the Daily Dispatch reported that fed up residents had dumped their rubbish in Bonza Bay road outside Ronnies Motors.
BCM spokesman Thandy Matebese said rubbish collection was still not at 100% because there were a number of trucks still not operational. “These are the trucks that had mechanical failures and they are still not operational. However the matter is being attended to,” he said.
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