During my public meeting in Soshanguve on Sunday, 17 September to provide feedback to the community regarding the adopted 2017/18 IDP and budget, residents raised concerns over the unabated littering and dysfunctional street and high mast lights that needed urgent attention.
Wasting no time, I committed to start fixing the problematic areas immediately. I am happy to indicate that clearing of the illegal dumping sites and fixing the street and high masts lighting started the next day [Monday].
Cleanliness in the city overall is a concern and the management of illegal dumping, littering and cleansing of public areas must receive attention.
The speedy response to clearing the illegal dumping site is informed by the City’s Vision Zero Waste approach – a philosophy that encourages the redesign of resource life cycle so that all products are reused. No trash is sent to landfills or incinerators.
Noting that occasional clearing of illegal dumping sites is not a sustainable solution, I emphasised the need for the community to be disciplined and to take care of their environment.
It is disappointing to see so many illegal dumping sites in our townships. Not only do they pose a health risk but they undermine the aesthetic appeal we are trying to introduce into our areas.
Our neighborhoods should be cherished and protected as they are places where we raise our families and create fond memories. We are doing no justice by continuing with the bad habit of dumping as it inevitably chases away investment and township tourism.
We will continue to honour our mandate of providing rubbish removal services and enforcement of by-laws such as illegal dumping.