Shack dwellers in Edongweni, Mfuleni lambasted the City, accusing it of being incompetent and stating that it had been almost two months since the rubbish was last collected in their area.

One resident, Pat Cosa, said people are illegally dumping rubbish at the circle on the corner of Parliament and Minister Road, which is causing a mess. She said there was a cleaning company that previously worked there, but it has since stopped.

Residents left in the dark

“We don’t know whether the contract of the company that was working here expired. No-one tells us; even the ward councillor is quiet. If you go between the shacks you can see the rubbish all over the place. People dump it anywhere.” Cosa accused the City of disrespecting residents by not informing them beforehand.

Burning waste to keep the mess at bay

Another resident, Khuthala Sikhweza, said they had been burning the rubbish to prevent the rubbish from spreading.

“It is tough here. No-one cares about us. At least have the decency to tell us what is happening. We see the rubbish piling up and no-one is collecting it.” She said all they needed is for the City to collect it.

Councillor: New service provider to clean Mfuleni

Ward 108 councillor Nkosiphendule Lombi said he was aware of the problem and the City was trying to fix it. He said the whole of Mfuleni was facing the same problem.

“The contract of the service provider that was working here before expired at the end of June. So the City is going to hire another service provider to clean here for this current financial year. However, I am not sure when the new contractor is going to start working.” Lombi urged the community to calm down and vowed that everything would be sorted.

When City Vision visited the area some residents were burning rubbish at the circle.

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