Lungelo Mkamba and Gugu Mbonambi
WHILE armed metro police accompany and protect private companies cleaning up streets in Durban’s CBD at night, a Chatsworth community is watching as a dump grows on its doorstep.
Residents complained bitterly yesterday of the stench from their local dump.
Because the Welbedacht landfill site is full, owing to it not having been cleared since the municipal strike began, residents taking rubbish to the dump have been unable to enter and have simply dropped their refuse outside the gates.
The buildup of refuse is now spreading along the sides of Florence Nightingale Drive, which leads to the dump.
Durban Solid Waste’s head of strategic new development, Robert Abbu said: “We have allowed residents to dump the waste at the site. It is better that they don’t keep it at their residences. We are discussing these issues, but we can’t control the smell. Once the strike is over, it will be sorted out. It is not only Chatsworth with the problem. We don’t have resources because of the strike.”
Abbu would not name the other areas.
Florist Veni Padayachee said her customers had been deterred from visiting her shop by the smell at the dump, while Kuben Govender, who sells fruit and vegetables near the site, described the situation as a “health hazard”.
He, too, was feeling the effect of the smell on sales.
There are houses and the Westcliffe High School a stone’s throw from the dump.
Asked if the situation posed health risks, Priah Dass of the eThekwini communications unit said she could not comment until she had inspected the area.
Metro police spokesman Eugene Msomi confirmed that officers were protecting companies cleaning up the mess left behind by striking municipal workers.
Municipal spokesman Thabo Mofokeng said the municipality had put in action a contingency plan with private contractors.
He said 2 628 employees failed to go to work yesterday, while 977 were on leave.
“The municipality had plans to deal with the collection of refuse. However, residents were urged to only place refuse on the pavements on collection days and if it was not collected by the end of the day, to take it back inside until the next collection date. They should also call the Durban Solid Waste call centre at 031 311 8804 for assistance.”
Meanwhile, the Independent Municipal and Allied Trade Union (Imatu) would march through Durban today.
Spokesman Simon Riekert said union members would be disciplined during the march.
Police spokesman Vincent Mdunge said police arrested 43 people in Richards Bay yesterday for intimidation and public violence, 13 in Pinetown for malicious damage to property and two in Durban on similar charges.