Graaff-Reinet landfill and transfer station still in chaos and has become a ecological disaster, says DA
Chriszanne Janse van Vuuren
The DA recently announced that it will urge provincial government to intervene in the Dr Beyers Naudé Local Munisipality (DBNLM) as, according to them, the Graaff-Reinet transfer station and landfill site are still in chaos and have become ecological disasters.
DA MP and Dr Beyers Naudé Constituency Leader Samantha GrahamMaré says the statements made by Mayor Willem Safers in December last year that progress is being made with the rehabilitation of the transfer station and the landfill site are a complete fabrication.
“The landfill site is total carnage. The access road is impassable from midway because more and more people are dumping, this despite the municipality having spent almost R400 000 of taxpayer's money on the rehabilitation and maintenance thereof since November last year,” says GrahamMaré. “While the municipality prioritises appointing a driver for the mayor and speaker, there is not a single official assigned to work at this landfill site. The only people directing dumpers are the waste pickers – when they are not busy chasing each other with knives.” Graham-Maré says the DA councillors repeatedly asked for a resolution to this total environmental disaster from the Municipal Manager, Dr Edward Rankwana. and his response was that he will follow up, but no feedback has been received.
It has been established that the DBNLM awarded a tender for the rehabilitation and maintenance of the Graaff-Reinet landfill site within 20 days to a construction company on 9 November last year.
The specifications of this tender – initially advertised on 26 October and readvertised on 30 October to make provision for a compulsory site visit at the Graaff-Reinet landfill site on 3 November – included the cleaning of the access road, the hauling of the material into the landfill site, as well as the cleaning and shaping of dumping cells.
Payment of the R195 500 tender amount was requested, authorised, and approved on 29 November last year.
The summary of tenders awarded by the Dr Beyers Naudé Local Municipality (DBNLM) for Quarter two – 2023/24 published on the municipality’s website on 10 January indicates that the same service provider was awarded a R1 541 000 tender for the hiring of equipment on 14 December last year.
Graham-Maré believes that cleaning the site and not managing it afterwards amounts to wasteful and fruitless expenditure.
“Unless the site is managed properly and on a full-time basis with officials designated by the municipality to ensure that dumping is compliant, every cent spent on cleaning and rehabilitation is wasted. Adding insult to injury, the DBNLM instituted massive price hikes in refuse tariffs in 2023 that left residents reeling.
“Clearly that money has not been used for its intended purpose,” she says.
The DA already laid charges against the municipality on 1 December last year for non-compliance with the National Environmental Waste Management Act. “While the case continues to be investigated, we will ask our colleagues in the Eastern Cape Legislature to engage with the MEC of Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism to request urgent intervention in this matter,” says GrahamMaré.
She added that DA Member of the Provincial Legislature in Bhisho, Leander Kruger, already submitted questions to the MEC for Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Gerald Mlungisi Mvoko, regarding the GraaffReinet landfill site on Tuesday 27 February and that they are now awaiting the responses.
A request for comment was submitted to the DBNLM as well as the director of the construction company.
Their comments will be published as soon as they are received.