HUMANSDORP – Kouga’s Humansdorp landfill site has fallen below the minimum compliance threshold in AfriForum’s 2026 landfill audit, while the Hankey landfill site recorded a compliance score of 44%, highlighting ongoing waste management concerns in the municipality.

Humansdorp’s compliance score dropped from 80% in 2025 to 68% this year, meaning it no longer meets the 80% threshold required to pass the audit. Hankey recorded 44%, unchanged from its 2024 result, having fluctuated between 42% and 44% over the past two years.

The findings form part of AfriForum’s annual assessment of landfill sites and transfer stations across the country.

Louis van der Vyver, AfriForum’s district coordinator for the Eastern Cape, warned that poor waste management remained a concern across the province.

“Effective waste management is non-negotiable and has a far-reaching impact on people and the environment. There is no longer time for excuses; the municipalities’ poor performance in this audit clearly indicates that we are heading toward a disaster,” he said.

Nelson Mandela Bay metro’s facilities all fall short

The audit found that the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro’s five assessed waste management facilities achieved an average compliance score of 42%, with none meeting the minimum 80% threshold.

Kariega’s Koedoeskloof landfill recorded 36%, while the Hillwacht transfer station scored 30%. The Arlington landfill in Gqeberha achieved 44%, while the Gillespie and Rosedale transfer stations in Kariega recorded 50% and 52%, respectively.

Van der Vyver said NMBM’s poor performance was particularly concerning, given that it is the province’s largest metro and home to approximately 1.2 million people.

The only facility to pass

The Roundhill landfill site in KuGompo City was the only facility in the Eastern Cape to pass this year’s audit. It achieved a compliance score of 96%, down from 100% in 2025 but substantially higher than the 64% recorded in 2023.

“One swallow does not make a summer, and this is especially true in the Eastern Cape. Despite Roundhill’s exceptional performance, the province only managed an average compliance score of 55%. If Roundhill were excluded, the other eight sites audited in the province would not even have managed a combined compliance score of 50%,” Van der Vyver said.

Eastern Cape trails other provinces

The Eastern Cape’s average compliance score of 55% was marginally lower than KwaZulu-Natal’s 56%. The Western Cape and Gauteng recorded the highest provincial averages, at 66% and 64% respectively.

Nationally, AfriForum audited 132 landfill sites and transfer stations across all nine provinces. Only 30 facilities, representing 23% of those assessed, achieved a compliance score of at least 80%. According to AfriForum, the findings point to widespread shortcomings in infrastructure, operational management and compliance with basic waste management requirements.

The organisation submitted its report to the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment earlier this month. It said it would continue auditing municipal waste facilities annually and engage with authorities, industry stakeholders and communities on possible solutions.

Responding to the findings, NMBM spokesperson, Sithembiso Soyaya, said the municipality acknowledged the concerns raised about its landfill sites and transfer stations but had not yet verified AfriForum’s findings and compliance scores.

“While the Municipality has not yet verified the findings and compliance scores contained in AfriForum’s 2026 landfill audit, it is aware of the operational challenges experienced at some of its waste management facilities,” he said.

Soyaya attributed these challenges to ageing infrastructure, vandalism and budgetary constraints, which he said affected the maintenance, security and efficient operation of the facilities.

He said the municipality had invested more than R15 million in improvements to its waste management facilities during the current financial year, with further investment planned for subsequent years. “Priority interventions include improving perimeter fencing and access control, acquiring additional fleet and upgrading infrastructure within the facilities.”

Soyaya added that the municipality was engaging with communities and exploring public-private partnerships to advance waste recycling. “These initiatives are aimed at improving waste management practices, strengthening operational efficiency and creating local economic opportunities,” he said.

Asked how the municipality would address the specific shortcomings identified in the audit, Soyaya said the findings would first need to be assessed against its operational records and applicable compliance requirements.

He said this process would help establish the deficiencies identified at each site and determine whether additional corrective measures were necessary. Soyaya said the municipality remained committed to improving the condition and management of its waste facilities through infrastructure upgrades, stronger security measures and other interventions aimed at improving compliance.

The Kouga Local Municipality was approached for comment on Tuesday 20 October, but no response had been received at Wednesday, 28 October.

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