The Democratic Alliance (DA) has renewed its warning to Siyathemba Municipality regarding the ongoing illegal occupation in and around the Prieska landfill site, describing the situation as a serious and escalating threat to public health, safety, and the environment.
For several years, informal structures have been allowed to develop on land that is both legally and physically unsuitable for human habitation. While one recently erected structure was removed, new structures continue to emerge along the perimeter of the landfill, highlighting a continued failure to enforce existing controls.
Critically, this failure is compounded by the inaction of the Corporate Services department, which has yet to finalise and implement the necessary by-law framework that would enable effective and lawful enforcement. Without this regulatory instrument in place, enforcement remains inconsistent, delayed, and legally constrained.
Living in close proximity to a landfill exposes residents to hazardous conditions, including toxic gases, contaminated water, fire hazards, and unstable ground. Allowing people to remain in such an environment is neither humane nor responsible.
Communities surrounding the landfill have also raised increasing concerns about crime, safety, and environmental degradation linked to the illegal occupation of the area.
The DA has consistently raised these matters in Council and through formal municipal processes. However, enforcement efforts have stalled due to the absence of a court order, with the South African Police Service indicating that it cannot intervene without the required legal authority.
This continued inaction, both in enforcing existing measures and in finalising the required by-law, is unacceptable. The municipality can no longer delay decisive and lawful intervention while the risks to both occupants and surrounding communities continue to escalate.
The DA is therefore calling for urgent action that balances compassion with accountability, including:
• The expedited finalisation and adoption of the relevant by-law by the Corporate Services department;
• The formal declaration of the landfill and its surrounding buffer zone as a high-risk restricted area;
• An urgent court application to enable lawful eviction and relocation;
• Immediate interim safety measures and consistent law enforcement to prevent further occupation; and
• The development of a humane and dignified relocation plan for affected individuals.
These demands have been formally submitted, and the DA will continue to apply pressure while closely monitoring the municipality’s response.