Waste management firm blames hijackers for dumped medical debris found on Eastern Cape beaches

Medical waste found dumped on Mdumbi Beach in the Eastern Cape on 8 January 2022. (Photos: Supplied)

By Tembile Sgqolana

13 Jan 2023

Compass Medical Waste Services says the potentially hazardous materials discarded on Mdumbi and Mngcibe beaches had been left by criminals after stealing a company vehicle in December.

Compass Medical Waste Services claims that medical waste that washed up at Mdumbi beach and Mngcibe beach on Sunday formed part of a consignment transported by one of their vehicles which had been hijacked on 8 December 2022.

Police have also confirmed they were investigating the hijacking of the vehicle.

On Wednesday Daily Maverick reported that members of the Mdumbi Surf Lifesaving Club in Nyandeni Local Municipality along the Wild Coast in Eastern Cape were shocked to find the medical waste along the shoreline on Sunday.

Read in Daily Maverick: ‘Beachgoers warned after medical waste washes up on Wild Coast shores’

Compass Medical Waste Managing Director Graham Du Randt confirmed that its company vehicle transporting the waste was stolen last month.

Mdumbi Beach medical waste Medical waste was found dumped on Mdumbi Beach in the Eastern Cape on 8 January 2022. (Photos: Supplied)

“After being alerted to the Daily Maverick article and subsequently requesting a video of the dumped waste from an environmental health representative in the area, we have been able to accurately identify the waste as being from our hijacked vehicle.

“Due to the recent heavy rains, we can only assume that the hijackers dumped this waste next to the [Mdumbi] river and some of it washed down to the river mouth and surrounding beach,” he said.

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Du Randt said their Eastern Cape regional manager and a hazmat clean-up team are currently on their way to the affected area to meet with the environmental health department and to ensure that the area is isolated and cleaned up speedily.

“The hijacking of our vehicle (Hyundai H100 registration NU 139949) on 8 December 2022 in the Canzibe area was reported to the Ngqeleni Police Station (CAS 62/12/2022) immediately after the incident. At the same time, we alerted relevant national and provincial authorities to the missing waste and contacted Algoa FM radio station to share the story with local listeners. To date the vehicle has not been found,” he said.

He said Compass Medical Waste takes the illegal dumping of medical waste very seriously and they’re saddened by the damaging effect this hijacking has had on the driver, local residents and the environment.

“We are, however, relieved that the stolen consignment has finally surfaced and can be safely retrieved and disposed of,” said Du Randt.

Medical waste found dumped on Mdumbi Beach in the Eastern Cape on 8 January 2022. (Photos: Supplied)

Resident Warren Hudson said that ward councillor Nikelani Mjajubana, working with representatives of Philani Clinic and delegates from the Department of Health, has begun to remove some of the waste debris from Mdumbi beach.

“They took as much as they could carry but there is still quite a lot of stuff left behind. I am not sure about the Mngcibe beach, but a medical waste vehicle arrived on our side and then left shortly thereafter,” he said.

Lu Hemsley who lives by Mngcibe beach said the ward councillor Mjajubana and his team, which included members of Philani Clinic, had also been to Mngcibe beach to collect the medical waste.

“The clean up is still continuing,” she said.

Eastern Cape police spokesperson Brigadier Tembinkosi Kinana did not respond to the questions sent to him on Thursday, despite numerous reminders and phone calls. DM/OBP

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