The Democratic Alliance (DA) has conducted an inspection and oversight of the Hartswater and Jan Kempdorp landfill sites, and now urgently calls on the Northern Cape Department of Agriculture, Environmental Affairs, Rural Development and Land Reform to take immediate action against Phokwane municipality for ongoing mismanagement of the sites.
Licenses at both sites have expired.
Oversight inspections, conducted by myself and Cllr Annette Van Wyk, confirmed that there is no fencing or containment of refuse at either site. Livestock in the vicinity of both dump sites was observed consuming plastic. People are also living on the landfill in Jan Kempdorp.
This is not only an environmental concern but a health and safety matter too, as staff members operating on these sites are exposed to hazardous conditions without clean running water and sufficient ablution facilities.
Despite having raised these concerns in committee and council, and more recently taking them up directly with the municipal manager, there is no attempt by the municipality to address ongoing non-compliance in relation to the management of these landfill sites.
This is a serious indictment against the municipality, especially considering that the Hartswater landfill site was launched at a cost of R15,2 million in 2012, after the previous site was found to be in contravention of the Waste Act. This resulted in the Green Scorpions serving the municipality with a notice of contravention of the Waste Act.
The DA has written to the MEC of Environment, Mase Manopole, asking that the Green Scorpions conduct an urgent site inspection to the Phokwane landfills to take action. It is high time that non-compliance notices are followed up with prosecutions and that the health and wellbeing of our environment and our people is protected.