Uncollected trash inflames health hazards as Pikitup protest continues unabated
Simon Majadibodu and Hope Mafu
Residents of Randburg, Cosmo City and Zandspruit informal settlement in Joburg north have expressed concern about the foul smell from uncollected waste due to the ongoing protest by Pikitup volunteers.
The protest started on Thursday, May 16, and was led by Zandspruit-based Combat Movement leader Enos Maake. The community-based organisation assists members of the community to find work and fight corruption in government.
Maake said many workers have been volunteering at the Pikitup Randburg depot for years, yet when 300 job posts were advertised, they were not hired. They alleged that there was corruption, nepotism and political connections taking place at the depot.
The protest has since disrupted services, resulting in waste piling up in surrounding areas and leaving residents to deal with the results of the ongoing protest.
Mavis Ngobeni, 33, from Randburg, expressed her concern about the uncollected waste, saying that the unbearable odour posed significant health hazards to the people.
“The smell is harmful to our health, as it could make us sick. With the waste piling up, it also creates hiding spots for gangsters, making it easier for them to rob us,” she said.
Lucinda Jane Harman, ward 102 councillor in Randburg, said that there had been no waste collections in her ward and called for immediate action to address the situation.
“There must be intervention from the City of Joburg mayor, city manager, and MMC and experienced management at Pikitup,” she said.
Concerned resident from Zandspruit, Ellen Suping-Hlongwane, 65, voiced her worry about the uncollected garbage near the Zandspruit clinic.
“This uncollected waste poses a serious risk of diseases for people, especially since it's being dumped near the clinic where people go to seek healthcare services. Just passing by and entering the clinic, one already questions whether they'll get better or not, after inhaling the foul odour from the trash,” she told IOL News.
Zandspruit councillor David Mangena said he would take the matter into his own hands and organise a community meeting to clean the area, together with residents, as it was unhealthy to live in a filthy environment.
Regina Matlou, 46, Cosmo City resident, expressed her concern about children who were now playing with trash.
“I am deeply worried about this because now our children are playing with the trash and they will get sick as a result of this protest. We can’t be living in a dirty environment like this, it’s not healthy at all.”
Ward 100 Cosmo City councillor, Lyborn Ndou, said he was concerned that the trash issue needed to be addressed, as it significantly puts people’s lives at risk of catching diseases.
In a statement on Monday, Pikitup said refuse services were operational in only two of the 12 depots in Johannesburg because of the protests.
On Friday, it said law enforcement - Johannesburg metro police, private security and Public Order Policing - had been deployed in the affected depots to defuse the situation.
Pikitup spokesperson Muzi Mkhwanazi said senior management was engaging workers to resume work and had stressed that the ‘no work, no pay’ principle would be enforced.
“Senior managers were on the ground today, impressing upon employees to return to work and reminding them that the principle of no work, no pay applies in this instance. The engagements to find solutions to the issue will continue until the matter is resolved,” said Mkhwanazi.
Mkhwanazi said the owners of ad hoc fleets, used to assist the company with waste collection, would be requested to provide compactor trucks and personnel to help clear the piles of litters strewn across the city and clear the waste backlog caused by the strike.
He said Pikitup condemned the violent conduct of workers. Such behaviour prevented employees from working and rendering essential sanitation services as residents were entitled to a clean environment.
The causal workers have accused Pikitup of nepotism and corruption. Mkhwanazi denied the accusations.
“People with evidence of such should bring such evidence to the organisation so that disciplinary proceedings can be instituted against the implicated parties. In terms of corruption allegations, people are advised to bring such to the attention of the organisation and also open criminal charges against those implicated in such nefarious activities,” he said.
Meanwhile, City Manager Floyd Brink will lead a media briefing on Wednesday to outline the Pikitup recovery plans following the disruptions caused by casual workers’ strike.
The Star