A resident’s angry letter about rubbish along Swartdam Road and a municipal truck driver caught tossing waste from his cab have reignited express outrage over a persistent litter crisis in Zwelihle. Municipal records show this is a problem is reported, cleaned up, only to return again, over and over again.

“Baffling and repulsive”

In a letter to Hermanus Times a resident described driving with overseas visitors along Swartdam Road to and from the New Harbour, the main gateway road past Zwelihle, only to hear them express shock at the litter strewn along the entire route.

“How is it possible that this well-governed town can allow this pathetic image to live on and on?” the resident asked. “Where are fixed, cleanable rubbish bins along the route?”

What set the writer off most was what happened at approximately 14:15: a branded Overstrand municipal truck driver who “very nonchalantly threw his rubbish out the truck window and into the already littered street.” The driver could see the resident gesturing in disgust, the letter said, but appeared indifferent.

“This repulsive, filthy environment, going from bad to worse, it seems, must surely be of great concern, or is it accepted as normal?” the resident wrote. “What is the solution? And what is being done by Council about this unacceptable, embarrassing situation?”

Overstrand Municipality responded by directing residents to its refuse-removal schedule, available at www.overstrand.gov.za/refuse-removal-schedule/. According to the schedule, refuse collection in Zwelihle takes place on Wednesdays.

But a review of municipal reports and news coverage over the past three years shows that the problem runs far deeper than a weekly collection schedule, and cleaning Zwelihle has been a recurring cycle of effort and relapse.

A pattern of clean-ups and re-littering

· March 2023: Ward Councillor Leads Community Clean-Up: On 6 March 202, Ward 12 Councillor Masibongwe Sihlahla led a clean-up campaign with ward-committee members and residents, covering Sisulu, uThando, Mbokodo, Jikeleza, Siyakhana, Uxolo and Landa Streets in Zwelihle. The councillor described illegal dumping and littering as an ongoing problem and called for broader community participation.

· 2022: Wheelie bins for newer housing areas: In 2022, the municipality distributed 240l wheelie bins to newer housing projects in Zwelihle (C1 and C2 phases), as well as Hawston, to reduce illegal dumping. Each bin cost approximately R2 000 was to be emptied weekly according to the refuse schedule, and residents were asked to place bins out only on collection mornings.

· September 2025: Community clean-up and tree planting: Overstrand promoted a community clean-up and tree-planting event at the Zwelihle Sports Grounds on 6 September 2025, with 10 trees supplied by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment.

· 8 April 2026: Mayor leads clean-pp at Mandela plots: On 8 April 2026 Overstrand Executive Mayor Archie Klaas joined Ward 6 Councillor Vuyisani Bandeza, Councillor Kholiswa Ngqandana, Dolf Hansen, the Hermanus cleaning team and a newly appointed temporary ward-cleaning team for a clean-up at the Mandela plots in Zwelihle. They removed illegally dumped waste, collected litter, and the mayor helped paint street numbers on kerbs.

However, the municipality’s own account revealed the scale of the challenge: the Solid Waste team had cleaned the serviced-plot area approximately one week before the handover – only for it to be littered again shortly afterwards. Klaas expressed concern about the ongoing illegal dumping, the municipality reported.

· April-May 2026: Hlola Street health crisis: In April 2026 residents raised concerns about an illegal dumping hotspot on Hlola Street in Zwelihle, where waste reportedly included household refuse and dead animals. Residents cited rats, odours and risks to children. Ward 5 Councillor Bongiwe Nombula said she had repeatedly reported the matter to the municipality from 11 April.

The Overstrand Municipality said it continued to attend to illegal-dumping hot spots as operational capacity allowed, and could assist with refuse-collection arrangements for organised community clean-ups. “The communities must start looking after their own environment as well,” a municipal spokesperson said.

For the municipality illegal dumping remained a widespread challenge across the municipal area and was “unfortunately not unique to Hlola Street.”

· February 2026: Dumping worsens flood damage: During flooding in February 2026, Overstrand identified Zwelihle as one of the low-lying areas of concern, and said illegal dumping in the stormwater system was worsening blocked-drain problems.

· October 2026: “Children playing with rubbish”: A 15 October 2026 report described residents of Zwelihle as still living alongside piles of rubbish. Masizole Mnqasela, leader of the Alliance of Citizens for Change and former DA Speaker of the Western Cape legislature, said the municipality had sent Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) workers to clean the streets after complaints, but the effort was not sustained.

“These are public spaces where children are now playing with rubbish,” Mnqasela said. Connie Tafu-Nwonkwo, ANC chief whip in Overstrand Municipality, said Zwelihle residents needed lasting solutions rather than temporary interventions.

A children’s park in Lusiba Street was described as having weeds and litter instead of play equipment with a nearby streetlight missing its lamp.

ALSO READ: ‘Completed’ Zwelihle playpark raises questions just months after opening

How many times has Zwelihle been cleaned?

Based on documented reports, Zwelihle has been the subject of organised municipal or community clean-ups at least six times over the past three years. In each documented case, litter or illegal dumping returned, sometimes within days.

The bigger picture

Overstrand Municipality has acknowledged the scale of the problem on its website: “Rubbish is being dumped illegally and regularly in many areas around the Overstrand, making it difficult for municipal workers to keep up with maintaining a clean town. They clean every day, but when they return the next day, the rubbish is back in the same place.”

· Report littering or illegal dumping: Overstrand Law Enforcement – 028 313 8996

· Email reports: enquiries@overstrand.gov.za

· Refuse removal schedule: www.overstrand.gov.za/refuse-removal-schedule/