The heaps of uncollected garbage in the Central Business District (CBD) of Pietermaritzburg can lead to outbreak of the waterborne disease, cholera. Municipal workers in the Waste Management Unit have been on strike since last Tuesday complaining about poor working conditions.
Tons of garbage have continued to pile up on the streets of Pietermaritzburg and residential areas as the Msunduzi Municipality struggles to deal with a situation that is quickly turning into an environmental crisis for the city.
The waste management situation in many municipalities like uMsunduzi and KwaZulu-Natal province as a whole currently requires concerted effort to sensitize the general public on the need for proper disposal of solid waste. Also, officials should be well trained on professionalism and efficient service delivery. All municipalities within the province must have access to experienced waste managers who are within reach and can assist with the best approach in managing waste.
There is an unsightly prevalence of haphazard dumping of waste everywhere in the city of Pietermaritzburg. Whilst one could easily think that the authorities are not doing much to solve the problem, citizens must also take responsibility for garbage that is dumped on streets as it is common to see heaps of garbage along streets and pathways in the CBD.
The Msunduzi Municipality needs to urgently end the impasse with its staff and send in trucks and manpower to clear the rubbish on the streets, otherwise there can be outbreaks of diseases like cholera and dysentery in this community.
The Province of KwaZulu-Natal needs to come up with a holistic and sustainable solid waste management system that will result in an efficient and dependable disposal of garbage, dispite a host of policies and regulations, solid waste management in the province is assuming alarming proportions with each passing day.
The IFP calls on the Msundunzi Municipality to reach consensus with the striking waste management staff.
Contact:
Mr Les Govender, MPL, IFP KZN Provincial Spokesperson on Environmental Affairs,
082 448 8787
Date: 21 February 2019
Date: 21 February 2019