Refuse backlog ‘clear by weekend’

THREE weeks after the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality suspended services to the Motherwell and Wells Estate areas, it has vowed to clear the refuse backlog by the end of the week.

Mayoral spokesman Sibongile Dimbaza said the regular waste collection schedule had been followed since yesterday.

This comes after the municipality decided to withdraw service delivery in the two no-go areas due to violent unrest in the vicinity, with vehicles stoned and torched.

The protests were a result of the eviction of residents occupying land illegally in Wells Estate and Motherwell.

As a precautionary measure, and because the safety of municipal staff could not be guaranteed, the municipality has not collected rubbish or fixed power and water outages over the past three weeks.

Dimbaza urged residents to work with the municipality to ensure that municipal vehicles were not damaged and staff were not intimidated.

“In recent weeks, isolated acts of criminality have put the lives of municipal staff at risk, preventing the full delivery of services,” he said.

“But we are pleased to announce that from today [Monday], the regular refuse collection schedule is being followed and all residents should [put] bags and bins out on the scheduled days.”

“Delivering services to all residents is crucial in a well-run city, but this can only happen if municipal staff and vehicles are not subject to violence or intimidation.”

Ward 60 councillor Mvuzo Mbelekane, whose ward spans Wells Estate and parts of Motherwell, said he hoped the municipality would follow through on its promise, as he had been inundated with complaints from residents in his ward.

“Some people have [not had] electricity for the past three weeks and they have been complaining,” Mbelekane said.

He said although the riots had stopped almost two weeks ago, he had battled to get a municipal truck to enter the area.

“[Residents] have even come to me [saying] they would escort the trucks if only the municipality [would] send a team,” he said.

Dimbaza said the municipality would clear the rubbish backlog by the end of the week.