Bay steps up a gear in anti-waste campaign
Confiscation of vehicles and fines part of new phase in war on litter
NELSON Mandela Bay’s “ghost squad” will target illegal dumpsites to catch the crooks in the act – with vehicles confiscated from repeat offenders. This was announced by mayor Athol Trollip yesterday at the launch of the second phase of the war on waste programme at Sanctor Primary School in Bethelsdorp.
“Our intention is clear. We want to ensure that every nook and cranny of this beautiful city is cleaned and consistently maintained,” he said.
A “ghost squad” vehicle will frequently monitor the identified illegal dumping hotspots.
Anyone caught dumping will be fined R2 000.
If the offender was caught a second time, the vehicle would be confiscated, Trollip said.
The “ghost squad” is made up of unmarked, fully equipped metro police vehicles.
Trollip, who is also acting portfolio head for public health, shared his plan on how the municipality would accelerate a clean-up across the city and improve the implementation of systems.
He also unveiled two refuse trucks, valued at R3-million each, to add to the municipality’s fleet.
“The fight against illegal dumping will also be intensified. We warn every resident and business person that we will come down hard on everyone found guilty of this filthy habit,” he said.
Phase two would focus on illegal dumping and a wheelie-bin survey.
“This will be conducted to decide whether the city needs to buy more or service the existing ones,” he said.
He urged residents to report dumping incidents to the municipality.
A field next to Sanctor Primary was identified as one of the illegal dumping hotspots in Nelson Mandela Bay.
“Our city is among the most beautiful in the world, but the amount of litter that riddles the city makes it very hard to see its beauty,” Trollip said.
He said he had asked ward councillors to submit the names of candidates for the Expanded Public Works Programme. This would ensure there were no irregularities.
Under the political leadership of former deputy mayor Mongameli Bobani, the project was meant to accelerate the cleaning up of the city’s streets with a special focus on illegal dumping sites.
But Bobani was accused of political interference in the hiring of litter pickers, which saw the EPWP distance itself from the recruitment process.
The matter is still being investigated by the municipal public accounts committee, while a draft report by PricewaterhouseCoopers details irregularities in the employing of litter pickers.
To report illegal dumping, contact (041) 506-2833 or 0800-205-050.