Before and after views of the rubbish dump in Motherwell. Photos: Joseph Chirume
26 July 2017
Piles of rubbish in Motherwell, NU 10, Port Elizabeth, that had not been collected since December, have been completely removed. GroundUp ran a story on the rubbish dump on Friday. The municipality began removing the waste on Saturday. By early Wednesday morning the job was done.
Residents of Mokgatho Street expressed their happiness when they breathed fresh air for the first time in more than six months. The illegal dumping had started to encroach on their yards.
Kristoff Adelbert, Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality Chief of Staff, told Groundup last week that the municipality was unaware of the illegal dumping site. “It is also true that no one, not even the ward councillor reported this to the officials.”
On Friday, Mayor Athol Trollip, in response to GroundUp’s article, tweeted: “Waste disposal teams have been dispatched to begin clearing the site. All waste will be removed within the next 48-72 hours.” He kept his word.
Resident Lusindiso Fubesi said the problem would only be solved if a large skip was placed at the site.
Another resident, Buyelwa Tetani, said, “I hope the municipality will always be coming to inspect this place. I am tired of shouting at people who dump their garbage here.”