Residents blatantly disregard illegal dumping warning, regulations

Despite a clearly visible no-dumping sign in front of a primary school in Mlungisi Township in Komani, residents near the school continue dumping piles of garbage, a health hazard for teachers and hundreds of pupils.
The Rep team spotted a group of pupils looking over the garbage on Tuesday morning and it was not long before a resident pushing a wheelbarrow was seen offloading what looked like building rubble in the area adjacent to the school.

It is not clear why the dumping persists, but residents in Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality (EMLM) often complain about inconsistent refuse collection by municipal workers.

Responding to questions about a resident’s ongoing battle with illegal dumping, EMLM spokesperson, Lonwabo Kowa said the municipality had held campaigns to eradicate illegal dumping, only for communities to dump again. “There have been other illegal dumping sites reported and they will also be addressed,” said Kowa.

Read the resident’s story in The Rep this Friday.