Contentious cash-for-trash deal quietly buried

THE Umdoni municipality has abandoned controversial plans to import 2.4 million tons of trash from Lebanon.

The small KwaZulu-Natal coastal municipality last April approved a proposal to accept about 300 000 tons of waste a month from the Middle Eastern nation in exchange for R73-million.

The deal was brokered by a Durban-based logistics company, Veriworkz Trading.

It met with a backlash, including from Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa.

Municipal manager Xolani Luthuli said this week that the municipality had not heard from Veriworkz since receiving a presentation about nine months ago.

“It was never something we were pursuing. We were approached by people who wanted to bring this. We were waiting for them to come back to us after they have all the necessary approvals. They never came back to us after that,” said Luthuli.

He said the municipality treated Veriworkz like any other company that came forward with an idea, and had not agreed to import the trash. “The council took a decision in principle that we were open to the idea but they needed to get more information and the approvals. For me, it remains a closed chapter until they want to reopen it.”

Veriworkz legal representative Solwazi Mbambo did not respond to requests for comment.