Various townships around the City of Cape Town are witnessing mounting piles of mounting rubbish due to alleged non-collection of household waste by municipality.
According to residents in different areas, refuse collection has not happened in over two months.
Some of the affected areas are parts of Nyanga (along Ntlangano Crescent), Khayelitsha (along Japhta K. Masemola and Mew Way roads), Mfuleni (Nqubelani Street), Samora Machel (Oliver Tambo Road) and Lower Crossroads (Sheffield Road).
A resident from the Ndlovini informal settlement, Anele said it has been a while since rubbish was collected. He has no idea why it has not been collected.
“It’s been almost three months now and the rubbish has not been collected. I don’t know what happened to the people who used to clean here. All the shipping containers that store the rubbish are full,” he said, adding that the rubbish has been strewn on the road.
Aphiwe Majangaza from Phase 2 in Lusaka, Nyanga, reiterated Anele’s sentiment that the rubbish along Ntlangano Crescent has not been collected for more than two months. “There were allegations that the cleaning company that was working here stopped because it was threatened by the extortionists in the area. “Since that cleaning company stopped no other company has worked here,” said Majangaza, citing an unbearable smell for the waste.
He accused people from the formal houses of dumping their bins in their area. “Sometimes you find carcasses of dogs and cats here. It’s terrible. And the worst thing is that no one informs us of what is happening,” said Majangaza.
She urged the City to intervene and do something about the dirt in their areas.
City Vision contacted the City but there was no response at the time of going to print.