Pikitup hasn't cleared dumping sites the size of three soccer pitches in a decade, Thembelihle residents say

An illegal dumping site in Thembelihle informal settlement near Lenasia, south of Johannesburg. (Photo: Bheki Simelane)

By Bheki C. Simelane

30 Oct 2024

The stench of discarded trash permeates the air in Thembelihle as residents say Pikitup has failed to deal with illegal dumping, creating a health hazard. Pikitup says it’s doing its best.

The Thembelihle informal settlement near Lenasia, south of Johannesburg, is drowning in a sea of uncollected waste.

Local authorities say they are doing everything they can to clear the trash, but residents say they’re failing, adding that massive illegal dumping sites haven’t been properly cleared in at least a decade and general rubbish collection is haphazard at best.

During a visit to the area recently, Daily Maverick identified at least three sprawling illegal dumping sites within the residential area, two of which are each as wide as three soccer pitches combined.

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“We have been sitting with this uncollected waste for a long time, 10 to 11 years now,” Thembelihle Crisis Committee (TCC) leader Simphiwe Zwane said.

Thembelihle is serviced by the Avalon Pikitup depot. The same depot also services 25 other informal settlements, with a total of 16 Pikitup employees serving the entire area.

“The waste collection trucks do not go inside the township like they used to. At first, their excuse was illegal connections, but we have [had] proper electricity for years,” Zwane said.

Pikitup denied this. Spokesperson Muzi Mkhwanazi said: “It is not true that waste is not collected in the area.”

‘Swarm of flies’

A Thembelihle informal settlement resident walks past loads of uncollected waste. (Photo: Bheki Simelane)

As you walk into Thembelihle, the air becomes thick with the stench of rot and neglect.

Thembelihle resident and cancer patient Gift Ndlovu (59) lives next to one of the dumping sites.

The Ndlovus have been living in the area since they arrived 15 years ago.

“This rot is affecting us a lot, as you can see the swarm of flies around us,” said Ndlovu, who is in a wheelchair.

He cannot stay in the house long because the smell becomes unbearable.

“Even when Pikitup tried to clean the trash two months ago, they hardly scraped the surface, and left,” Ndlovu said of the illegal dumping site.

Another member of the family, Lindiwe Buthelezi (47), added: “Mind you, before that, we had not seen Pikitup for a year.”

“We buy dozens of Doom cans each month to kill the flies but that hasn’t helped at all,” Buthelezi said.

The family say the immediate solution to the illegal dumping is for the city to allocate the illegal dumping land to desperate residents to build shacks.

Unfunded mandate

In local government terms, unfunded mandates refer to budgets for which no actual cash is allocated.

Over the last decade, Johannesburg, especially the south of Johannesburg, has seen an influx of people who have settled through illegal land grabs or illegal land sales. Residents in these informal settlements have pressured the city into providing some form of basic services, such as water and sanitation, electricity and waste management.

Those in Thembelihle fought for these basic services, eventually achieving success in only one, electricity. This, however, does not legitimise the status of the informal settlement, and it’s not officially accommodated in the city’s budget.

“Many of these settlements have recently emerged, representing unfunded mandates. However, despite the lack of funding, Pikitup is required to service all of them, as maintaining a clean environment is a constitutional imperative, regardless of financial constraints,” Mkhwanazi said.

“The areas are cleaned with very limited resources,” he added.

“Residents must also take responsibility and play their part by refraining from illegal dumping. It’s a collective responsibility.”

“Illegal dumping in all the areas of the city can be addressed if only residents deal with waste responsibly as well. A clean environment is a collective responsibility,” Mkhwanazi said.

Acknowledging the waste collection shortfall in the area and other informal settlements, Mkhwanazi said: “Due to current resource constraints and the large number of informal settlements serviced by the depot, it is not possible to provide daily waste collection.”

Pikitup told Daily Maverick that instead of providing daily waste collection services, the areas are attended to three times a week.

“The matter is receiving attention, and once the issue of insufficient resources is resolved, daily service will be implemented,” Mkhwanazi said.

“Ideally, waste collection would occur daily.”

He said Pikitup clears illegal dumping sites twice a month.

“The Thembelihle informal settlement covers a large area and as previously stated both human and equipment resources are a challenge. However, despite that, the area is being serviced,” Mkhwanazi said.

“Compact trucks and street cleaning trucks are used when servicing the area.”

Residents, however, disputed the claim that Pikitup clears general waste three times a week and illegal dumping sites twice a month. They claimed municipal employees do visit the area, but not as often as Pikitup claims, and when they arrive, they fail to do their jobs.

The lack of general waste collection leads residents to dump rubbish in the sprawling illegal sites, which continue to grow as Pikitup fails to properly clear them, residents claim.

One resident, Sibongile Zungu, said Pikitup employees work only part of the day. “After that, you will meet them in groups in taverns or lying on their backs under trees and enjoying the shade.”

Lack of accountability

An illegal dumping site in Thembelihle informal settlement near Lenasia, south of Johannesburg. (Photo: Bheki Simelane)

The area’s ward councillor, Malate Godfrey Lebea, did not acknowledge Daily Maverick’s enquiries.

Democratic Alliance PR councillor Maureen Mnisi said what was happening to the residents of Thembelihle was far beyond what human beings should endure.

“The conditions in the area are far from what we, as public representatives, should accept,” Mnisi said.

“Illegal dumping is rampant, with no intervention from Pikitup to manage the situation or distribute plastic bags to residents,” she said.

“According to residents, the ward councillor for Ward 8 is unavailable, leaving them without proper representation to address these critical issues.

“I urge the Human Rights Commission to visit these areas, hear from the residents, and take steps to ensure that their basic needs are met,” Mnisi said

Thembelihle Crisis Committee

The TCC was established to fill a political gap in the community and the vibrant, youthful organisation became a key advocate in the area’s battle for official recognition from the City of Johannesburg. However, over the last few years, the TCC’s influence has waned, meaning the community has lost a voice in its fight to have key issues addressed.

Zwane blamed the Covid-19 pandemic for TCC’s rapid decline.

“I think Covid hurt a lot of people because we couldn’t hold meetings and decide how we advance the community’s needs for two years,” Zwane said.

“We are currently trying to regroup and pick up where we left off.” DM

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Our Burning Planet

‘Swarm of flies’

Unfunded mandate

Lack of accountability

Thembelihle Crisis Committee