The Democratic Alliance (DA) has escalated the lack of management at the De Duine Landfill site in Upington to the Department of Environment and Nature Conservation.
The site is in violation of national standards and poses a health and safety risk to residents.
Municipal officials are rarely seen at the site. The DA was informed today that the broken compactor has finally been repaired but we have not yet seen it back in action. Instead, all that is visible are heaps of dumped refuse. The road that leads to the dump is also a mess, as residents prefer not to enter the site because of safety fears. This is the sight that greets people entering and leaving the town on the southern side of the N14.
Serious infringements of the National Environmental Management: Waste Act include a lack of fencing and access control. Fencing was stolen years ago. There is also no security on site. People, including children, live amongst the rubbish, where a makeshift “shop” has been established.
There are regular fires at the site that distribute toxic gasses. This also affects the health of people living across from the landfill. Economic losses are felt by guest houses in the nearby vicinity, as they cannot function optimally in such conditions. One resident claimed to have lost R80 000 when the hunters he was accommodating were forced to leave because of the smoke and smell.
Expensive machinery has previously burnt out at the site due to negligence by officials, without any consequence management being enforced.
The DA submitted a letter detailing our concerns to the Municipal Manager, Speaker and Director of Infrastructure of Dawid Kruiper municipality. We also recommended that the municipality considers leasing the landfill site to a recycling company. To date, we have received no response. We have therefore escalated this matter to the MEC of Environment and Conservation, for her urgent attention.
Everyone has a right to a clean and healthy environment and government should be the guardian of this right, not its primary transgressor.