Mayor answers waste management concerns
The rubbish burn at the transfer station that saw Graaff-Reinet covered in a dark cloud of smoke on 30 November was not lit by the municipality, but by “evildoers”, according to Willem Safers, Mayor of the Dr Beyers Naudé Local Municipality (DBNLM). However, progress is being made with the rehabilitation of the transfer station and the landfill site near Adendorp.
Syfers, in response to complaints about the burning of waste at the Graaff-Reinet transfer station, said that the municipality relies heavily on external service providers to manage and maintain these sites since it does not have earth moving machines.
“After the agreement with the previous service provider was terminated, the municipality had undertaken a procurement process to replace the service provider. During this period the state of the sites deteriorated immensely as residents and businesses continued to dump waste at undesignated areas,” he explained.”With the proximity of the transfer station, some elements started to put the waste to fire, which posed both environmental and road traffic risks as smoke covered huge areas around the transfer station.”
Hope
The rehabilitation of the transfer station and the dumpsite has been well received by residents and businesses, and the municipality is also pleased with the quality of the progress. Syfers said the transfer station is currently closed, and that all necessary mechanisms have been put in place to prevent further dumping at this site until it has been fully rehabilitated.
“DBNLM urges residents to cooperate with designated officials and follow their instructions at the landfill site when dumping waste.
“This will assist in ensuring that we avoid the recent undesired situation. In the spirit of participatory governance, the municipality wishes to thank all parties involved in ensuring that the situation was corrected and for holding the municipality accountable to residents. As we enter the festive season, residents and businesses are encouraged to work with us in the upkeep of the facilities by dumping only in designated areas.”