Promise date: 22 November 2021
Due date: 2 November 2026
Source: Acceptance speech
Promise outcome: Broken
In August 2019, a DA member of parliament complained to the Public Protector that Kempton Park was “rat-infested” because the City of Ekurhuleni had failed to collect waste once a week.
The municipality, which had an ANC mayor at the time, said the problem was the “incessant breakdown” of garbage removal trucks.
But more than three years later – and despite DA mayor Tania Campbell’s promise that the residents of Ekurhuleni would “no longer … be living in filth as pointed out by the Public Protector due to waste not being collected on a regular basis” – the broken-truck problem remains.
Last week, Ekurhuleni had 52 working trucks (compactors) out of the 78 it needed to “operate optimally”, according to Andre du Plessis, the mayoral committee member for environment and waste management.
Waste removal backlogs in the city date back to July. Du Plessis says the worst affected area was Benoni, where waste removal services were not delivered for five weeks.
According to the metro’s service standards document, dated 5 July 2022, domestic customers should expect a once-a-week waste removal service while business customers should expect the service at least once a week.
When the DA’s Mike Waters complained to the Public Protector in 2019, it was because waste removal did not happen once a week on the same day for a particular household.
The ANC run Ekurhuleni Metro is collapsing, with a deepening waste removal crisis. They cannot even provide a simple basic service. Parliament will be addressing the issue on 19 March as I submitted a petition on the crisis. pic.twitter.com/aZivfKLY9t
— Michael Waters (@WatersMichael67) March 3, 2019
What’s the problem?
Media reports have mentioned several reasons for the recent backlog, including the breakdown of waste removal trucks; the fact that a tyre tender had not been issued; the expiry of waste service provider contracts; and possible sabotage.
In response to our enquiry, Du Plessis points to an ageing fleet that is prone to mechanical breakdowns and delayed turnaround times for repairs.
He says the non-payment of service providers, which led to vehicles being withheld, has been resolved.
Other steps the city is taking include:
- When breakdowns cause shortages, a vehicle hiring contract kicks in;
- If collection on a weekday doesn’t happen, waste is collected over weekends;
- A task team is working to fast-track orders so that trucks can be repaired urgently;
- Four new compactors have been ordered; and
- A full maintenance lease is being investigated.
Verdict
Ekurhuleni mayor Tania Campbell promised that waste would be collected regularly, unlike in 2019 when the city’s failure to remove refuse once a week sparked a complaint to the Public Protector.
Since July this year, waste removal services have been unreliable in some areas. Residents of Benoni were particularly hard hit with a weeks-long service disruption on the mayor’s watch.
By 28 September, “90% of areas” were receiving waste removal services that met the standard, according to Andre du Plessis, the mayoral committee member for environment and waste management.
We rate this promise as broken because some residents have indeed been “living in filth” as a result of irregular waste removal.
Are you affected by problems with waste removal in Ekurhuleni? Email us: helptrackmymayor@gmail.com.
See Campbell’s other promises here.
– Liesl Pretorius, Track My Mayor
Track My Mayor is a promise tracker aimed at increasing accountability at local government level. It was established with support from Code for Africa’s