6 July 2022
Hebron is full of illegal dump sites and the Madibeng Local Municipality is doing nothing about it, say residents. Photo: Chris Gilili
Rubbish is piling up in Hebron in the North West and residents say the municipality is doing nothing about it.
Ward 41 councillor Leah Ntobong says the Madibeng Local Municipality cannot be relied on to clean the area.
She says when she asked Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) workers to tackle illegal dumping sites, she was told that they did not have material and equipment. “All of Hebron is filthy. On Mandela Day [18 July] I’m hoping to do a cleanup campaign with residents,” she said.
Marcus Malatji , whoworks as a security guard at the Hebron Technical and Commercial High School says there is a huge illegal dump site in front of the school.
He said residents have asked for a large rubbish bin where people can dispose of their waste.
Resident Christina Pelle said, “This area smells very bad when it’s hot. We want Madibeng to fix this mess.”
Rachel Baloyi, who owns a small takeaway, said the illegal dump opposite her business was chasing customers away. “My customers don’t want to sit and eat here due to the smell,” said Baloyi.
GroundUp first contacted Madibeng Local Municipality spokesperson Tumelo Tshabalala on 17 June about refuse collection in Hebron. We tried to get a comment from Tshabalala again on Wednesday morning. He had not responded by the time of publication.