As the rubbish continues to mount around Zone 20 in Langa, local meat vendors are worried about the detrimental effects this may have on their business.
They are now appealing to the City of Cape Town to clean the neighbourhood, particularly around their stalls. They say the customers are reluctant to buy their meat because of all the dirt.
One of the traders who called herself Madlamini said it has been a while since the area was cleaned. “It’s been almost a month now, the rubbish has not been collected here. It is bad for our business and customers as well. When the customers see the pile of rubbish they pass and buy it at other stalls,” she said.
Madlamini said they generally ask amaphara to clean the rubbish and pay them. She said all they need is a container where they can dump their rubbish.
Another meat vendor, MaBhayi, accused the people who stay at the nearby flats of illegally dumping in the area. “We are not the only ones who are dumping the rubbish here. Some of the people who are residing in flats also dump the rubbish here. Now, we are the victims because it looks like we are the ones who don’t care,” said MaBhayi.
Ward 52 councillor Thembelani Nyamakazi said he knew about the stalls and blamed the meat vendors for not taking responsibility for their actions. He said a cleaning company was hired by the City. “They are the ones who caused the mess. I always call the rubbish truck to clean the area. They need to take responsibility. They must man up,” said Nyamakazi.
