Service delivery failure: August Plaatjies is waging a one-man war on garbage in a Western Cape township

Uncollected domestic waste accumulates near communal toilets and the Dunoon library, obstructing access to the municipal hall in Waxberry Close, Dunoon, Cape Town. (Photo: Peter Luhanga)

By Peter Luhanga for GroundUp

15 Jan 2024

Armed with nothing but a shovel, August Plaatjies has made it his mission to clear uncollected rubbish from the streets of Dunoon township in Cape Town.

August Plaatjies lives in the newly established Newlands informal settlement along Potsdam Road. He was in Dunoon’s Ekupholweni informal settlement on Saturday clearing a pile of waste that had fallen from the overflowing rubbish containers. The garbage was obstructing access to the communal toilets.

According to News24, the municipality is struggling with waste removal in some informal settlements after terminating a contract with a supplier of refuse removal bags.

garbage western cape Uncollected domestic waste accumulates near communal toilets and the Dunoon library, obstructing access to the municipal hall in Waxberry Close, Dunoon, Cape Town. (Photo: Peter Luhanga)

Consistency in waste management in both formal and informal areas has been affected. Despite efforts by the city to dispatch teams to affected areas, residents have been complaining of their refuse being collected late or not at all.

In Dunoon, this has led to mounds of uncollected domestic waste, attracting more flies and rodents than usual.

Shovelling the rubbish so that the toilets could be accessed, Plaatjies complained that the council was too slow to do its job. He also pointed out that he wasn’t getting paid for doing their work for them.

As he shovelled the waste, flies swarmed around him and a noxious smell emanated from the pile. Residents of Siyahlala and Ekupholweni informal settlements dispose of all their household waste there, including human excrement.

Plaatjies says he sells empty cans to a recycling company in Killarney Gardens and makes about R60 a day.

Ekupholweni resident and community leader, Pesi Masigcinane, says they are waiting for the city to tell residents why municipal refuse services in the area have been interrupted.

“Council doesn’t inform us,” he said.

“Our children are playing in heaps of uncollected waste… We don’t even have toilets or piped water. Flies feed on the waste and come into our houses. We’ve had this problem since August last year.”

Responding to questions from GroundUp, municipal spokesperson Luthando Tyhalibongo said: “The city is aware of the ongoing Urban Waste Management service delivery challenges. We are making alternative arrangements to mitigate any negative impact on residents.” DM

First published by GroundUp.

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