Illegal dumping overwhelms Delft residents

When you enter Delft township on the Cape Flats, a rank stench hangs in the air. Piles of rubbish and pools of stagnant, filthy water are common sights – next to schools, storm water pipes and children’s parks with some being alarming dumping hotspots. Years of municipal efforts to curb illegal dumping in the area have born no fruit.

Lumka Bovu, a business owner operating a food stall near the Temporary Relocation Area (TRA) along Symphony Way, told Elitsha that illegal dumping affects her business. “The rubbish really affects my business. I am selling cooked food, and the filth and stench coming from it chases my customers away. It is such a pain. You see, now we are approaching summer. It will be a challenge with flies. I have operated in this area for more than six years and rubbish has always been a problem,” said Bovu. She thinks the city is not doing enough to fight illegal dumping and wishes that the City of Cape Town could help them to fight illegal dumping.

“We have kids here, who play around the rubbish. They will get sick, if they are not already. This place was a park back in the day but over the years it has turned into an illegal dumping zone. We also have animals and livestock that suffer because of this,” she added.

Another resident who shared her sentiments is Sindiswa Xuba. “I have stayed in Delft for more than eight years, and we have always complained. There is no effort at all from the city; we have asked several times for a big bin which people could throw rubbish in. It keeps getting worse everyday. People often dump here during the night, and in the mornings when no one is looking. Even if we try to clear it, it never stops,” said Xuba.

In Leiden, huge piles of rubbish greet you from the main road and residents said they have given up asking the ward councillor for a serious and permanent intervention. Resident Pamela Mgidi said an area near her home has turned into a serious concern for her as “people come and drop everything there, mostly at night or early in the morning, from rotten food, nappies to dead dogs and every kind of waste you can think of. We have children who run the risk of getting sick because of playing here. We navigate our way on top of the filth when going to work everyday.

“The coming hot days will be a nightmare for us. We also have a problem with huge rats, attracted by the dumping. We have made several requests to community members to stop this, but it only becomes worse. It becomes quiet for a day or two, and people start all over again, … so we have accepted it. We ask the city to do more. We cannot continue living like pigs,” said Mgidi.

Ward 24 councillor (ANC), Pumla Tause, said, “Illegal dumping is a problem that has been there for a very long time in Delft. Besides the lack of those big steel containers that are not here for people to throw in their waste, I think people need to be taught how to better manage their waste and to keep their environment clean.”

She also cast some blame at the waste companies who work on behalf of the city. “When those trucks come, they clean and then dump blue bags anywhere and in open spaces. Kids play with them and open them up. Dogs also open these plastic bags. Even recycling people tear the rubbish up and it is strewn all over the place.  It is a serious problem that you can find in many informal areas, all around Cape Town,” she said. As the local councillor, she sometimes organises clean-up campaigns and asks volunteers to join her. 

In their response, the City of Cape Town said it continues to face high levels of illegal dumping, costing the city millions while there is a limited budget for waste management. “All efforts cannot ensure that a certain area is very clean. The city cannot increase the budget to clean Delft. Overpopulation and the frequency of illegal dumping in the area, is overwhelming. Effort must be put towards prevention of dumping through law enforcement, impounding the culprits’ vehicles, and fining offenders,” the city said.