GQEBERHA – Mounting frustration over illegal dumping and vandalism across several suburbs in Nelson Mandela Bay has prompted renewed calls for urgent intervention.
In Summerstrand, the Summerstrand Neighbourhood Watch has closed off a problematic illegal dumping area off Strandfontein Road following repeated dumping and alleged criminal activity.
“This strip of tar would be cluttered with taxis and people going with bakkie loads of garbage, while nefarious activities would happen in the evenings. It was a bad spot,” said SNW chairman Ian Miller.
The neighbourhood watch has since blocked access to the illegal dumping area, using secured drums filled with rocks and warning signage.
“It has a no dumping sign and the barrels have ‘hazardous’ written on them. If you want anything done, you need to do it yourself,” he shared.
Additional community clean-ups have taken place at the corners of Gomery Avenue and Dana Street in Summerstrand, while fencing has been installed near a townhouse complex close to the municipal tip to curb further dumping.
“Our community is extremely frustrated because the gates to the municipal tip are often closed as a result of the contractor not maintaining his trucks and bins. Bins don’t arrive, so people offload illegally,” Miller claimed.
The Strandfontein municipal drop-off tip caters for various areas such as Walmer, Summerstrand, Humewood and the university.
“The municipality needs to get the tip sorted out. We need to have bins there on time; it is a focus area that needs to be dealt with.”
Miller added, “Our tips aren’t efficiently run. We need rangers out there so that they can fine these guys.”
Concerns about service delivery have also been formally raised in Helenvale. In a memorandum dated 11 February, Deputy Executive Mayor Gary van Niekerk submitted an urgent request for intervention in Ward 32 to the Acting City Manager.
“This memorandum serves as a formal and urgent request for assistance to the Community of Helenvale in Ward 32,” he wrote.
Van Niekerk said the community had reported “a massive water leak and an illegal dump site” next to Helenvale Primary School and near the Helenvale Resource Centre.
“I’ve visited the area, and it’s inhumane for not only people to be living in these conditions, but also the fact that young scholars attend the very school,” he wrote.
He further noted that “the roads around the school are also riddled with potholes, making the area almost impossible to access”.
“Can you please send a team to assess, repair and clean this area?” he requested, adding, “I urge you to treat this matter with the highest level of priority and provide a timeline for the commencement of this critical intervention.”
In Kensington, Ward 7 Councillor Brendon Pegram has also voiced strong concerns over illegal dumping and vandalism of community infrastructure.
“I feel it necessary to express my extreme frustration and disappointment upon observing the state of affairs in the Kensington area, specifically pertaining to the regular occurrence of illegal dumping,” Pegram said last week.
“It has become abundantly clear that despite concerted efforts to maintain cleanliness, the area reverts to its previous state within a mere week or two, indicating a disturbing trend of residents engaging in illegal behaviour within their own community.”
He said he struggled to understand the behaviour, “particularly given that refuse collection services are the same across all areas.”
Pegram appealed to residents to refrain from dumping illegally.
Despite the challenges, community groups say they remain committed to restoring affected areas.
“After years of watching this strip of road become a dumping ground for rubble and junk, along with taxis and (e-hailing cars) parking there and other unwanted activity, we have now taken action,” Miller shared.
“This is a firm step toward preventing further misuse of the area. The Summerstrand Neighbourhood Watch will continue with the clean-up efforts and remain committed to restoring and protecting this space.
“Together, we take back our neighbourhood.”
