Cato Crest residents bear the brunt of illegal dumping
APART from the land invasions which have been a nightmare for Cato Crest suburb homeowners, illegal dumping has now been added to their woes.
Concerned residents said although they hadcome to terms with land invasions they were angry that ethekwini Municipality was failing to keep their streets clean.
Due to the influx of settlers around Cato Crest, piles of garbage have been strewn on the streets.
Residents said they have sent numerous request to the city to review its waste collection schedule, to reduce the amount of garbage dumped in front of their properties.
Dale Warren, a resident of Gillatts Crescent fears this could cause disease. He said some of the roads have been narrowed as a result of uncollected rubbish.
“There are flies and rats breeding there, and there is a problem with stinking wastewater ponding in the street, which makes things worse,” he said.
Warren said he had consulted with ward councillors and written to the Durban Solid Waste (DSD) unit pleading for help. “It’s clear the normal waste collection routine will not solve our problems, they need to come with another plan because we cannot live like this as ratepayers.
“They have lost the land invasion battle and our property values have plummeted. Now they are not even bothered to clean up the garbage. We cannot be subjected to this health-hazardous condition yet we are expected to pay rates every month.”
Deylon Marcus, resident of Mary Thipe Avenue, said they felt neglected by the city.
“Our area has been in a spotlight because land invasion is rife here and these are consequences of that situation. The city could have made other arrangements to ensure garbage is dumped accordingly so we can live in hygienic conditions.”
Raymond Rampersad, Head of DSD agreed with the complaining residents and added the unit was doing an assessment in areas close to informal settlements.
“We will make use of private contractors to supplement our waste collection to two or three times a week in certain areas as from August.
“We have noted that there has been an increase in waste, it can be attributed to the influx of people moving closer to the city. But we must note that illegal street trading and businesses around that area contribute to the garbage piling on the streets at all times. We also engage with other departments to work with us because we need to find a permanent solution,” he said.