New beginning as waste removal truck roars into villages
Residents in Mulenzhe fight littering over past nine years
Catherine Munyai is part of Adopt a River, an environmental group founded by residents of Mulenzhe in Limpopo, to pick up and remove waste from their villages.
Illegal dumping in rural areas has now reached unbearable levels, something which prompted Munyai to spring into action.
The 44-year-old resident of Khakhanwa, one of 15 villages in Vhembe district, has spent nine years collecting waste and recycling. On Monday, she and fellow waste pickers in the villages received good news from the municipality and the department of environment, forestry and fisheries. The department handed over a compactor truck and a skip loader valued at more than R5m to assist in waste collection under management of the Collins Chabane local municipality .
Munyai said Adopt a River was started in 2013 after some residents noticed when doing laundry in rivers that there were lots of diapers and empty bottles dumped in the water, polluting the local streams.
“We started out by clearing the rivers and we would put the dirt in one place. We would also borrow wheelbarrows from households to make the job a lot easier as we did not have any transport,” she said.
She said the collected rubbish would be piled up on stands the group erected using wood, but some youngsters always destroyed them by helping themselves to some logs to make fires – and that was a challenge on its own.
“We would be glad if our stands can be made permanent using steel because we still intend to continue working as Adopt a River, so that our villages can remain clean all the time,” she said.
Munyai said some of the challenges they encountered included lack of proper protective equipment like gloves, masks and sunhats while picking up the waste.
“Refuse bags were also a challenge and we would use sacks while collecting the dirt,” Munyai said.
Sophie Suweya, 40, from Ha-PietBooi, who joined the group after its inception, said she is happy that at least the burden of waste collection has been eased.
“At first, there was a truck that used to collect waste once a week and we would sign as an indication that waste was collected but the suddenly it stopped coming,” said the mother of three.
“We were then told there is no longer a truck available to collect the waste.”
She said after the truck stopped coming to the villages, the group would just gather the waste, wait for it to dry and then burn it.
The department of environment has embarked on a national waste and landfill management fleet intervention worth over R44m to address waste collection issues, illegal dumping and landfill operations in rural areas.
This, according to minister Barbara Creecy, is part of the national waste management strategy which was revised in 2020 and focuses on improving household waste collection, diverting waste from landfills, promoting a circular economy and community awareness of the effects of illegal dumping on their own health and the environment.
Speaking during the launch, Creecy said due to insufficient budget, most local municipalities are facing serious challenges with waste collection services and as a result some of the residents and businesses dump waste in open spaces, resulting in illegal dumps.
“Waste disposal facilities in most municipalities are also experiencing serious noncompliance as waste is not properly managed due to lack of fleet and equipment. In an attempt to assist the municipalities, the department in 2018/19 engaged with cooperative governance and traditional affairs and National Treasury to enable municipalities to procure waste collection and landfill operation vehicles through the Municipal Infrastructure Grant,” she said.
Local chief Nkhaneni Ramovha said while he was happy with the donation of the trucks, Mulenzhe community, which has about 13,000 households, is still experiencing several challenges including lack of proper road infrastructure.
“We are still using gravel roads, which are not adequately maintained,” said Ramovha.
“Furthermore, the largest percentage of Nandoni Dam is in Mulenzhe area. However, despite being in close proximity to the dam our residents still struggle to get sustainable supply of clean water,” he said.
The Collins Chabane local municipality does not have its own waste dumping site and shares one with Thulamela local municipality, something the chief said is costly, considering the distance that must be travelled.
“Consequently, we have resolved as Mulenzhe Traditional Council to start the process of applying for a dumping site permit. The site will be within our area. We therefore urge all stakeholders involved in this process to assist us to acquire the said permit.”
At least 20 municipalities in all nine provinces are set to benefit from the waste management initiative by the national department. These include the Ba-Phalaborwa local municipality, also in Limpopo.
‘‘ A truck used to fetch waste once a week but stopped